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Currently Playing: THE HERMIT | Omeleto

A woman moves in. Mandy is a shy, socially awkward young woman who works from home and rarely gets out. When she decides to rent out her storage space, she meets Gianna, a confident "cool girl" who charms her way into the rental. Gianna becomes more than a renter, though. Gianna begins hanging out at Mandy's house and soon starts living there, bringing people over and taking over. As Gianna begins invading Mandy's home and life, Mandy begins fraying at the ends until she reaches a breaking point. Directed and written by Ella Schafer and Colleen Donovan, this darkly compelling short drama follows a power struggle that emerges when two women come together. One woman exists in a bubble of her own, one that's somewhat lonely and quiet. The other is charismatic and outgoing, with an ability to project her will and desires onto people and manipulate them through charm or aggression to get what she wants. When their needs collide, a psychological battle emerges, intensifying suspense and tension to the point of combustion. We're introduced to Mandy rehearsing her greeting before showing the space. She tries on different social disguises, from perky to nonchalant, but the real Mandy is quiet, awkward and somewhat meek, especially when faced with the bold, confident Gianna, who blithely charms and wheedles her way into the rental. The writing is sharply observant, capturing Mandy's anxious, withdrawn demeanor and her eagerness to both connect and please; we're also privy to Gianna's practiced charm and her ability to get what she wants. And what she wants is Mandy's space. What follows is something of a psychological home invasion, as Gianna gradually takes over the main living area. She uses every weapon in her arsenal, and as Gianna, actor Colleen Donovan oscillates deftly between charm, guilt trips and often simply taking what she wants. It's tricky to have a main character be so steamrolled, but as Mandy, actor Ella Schafer smartly avoids playing her character with mere passivity; she shades the character with hints of a larger, longer-term psychological struggle, and we get the sense that her troubles with Gianna are part of a deeper pattern. Mandy swallows her feelings, tries to get along and be understanding and stifles her voice. She emerges as an emotional pressure cooker -- one that eventually can't stand it anymore and asserts herself explosively. That explosion ends with a shocking act of self-assertion that resolves the conflict between the two women, ending THE HERMIT on a note of violence and even horror. With its tight narrative scope and buildup of emotional pressure, it proves itself as an intense, hothouse character study, a kind of cautionary tale about not setting boundaries for too long. When those boundaries collapse and an already fragile sense of self is trampled upon, it sets the stage for a psychological collapse -- one that can bring out the worst in others and ourselves. THE HERMIT. Courtesy of Ella Schaefer and Colleen Donovan at https://instagram.com/ellaschae.