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Currently Playing: LOVE BOMB | Omeleto

A woman and man date. Mike and Christine have been dating, and theirs has been a storybook romance, with exciting romantic dates, intimate conversations and plenty of attraction. Mike is attentive and affectionate, and their future together holds great promise. Their relationship intensifies, and the only sour note in what's been a near-perfect courtship is a strange room in Mike's apartment, which is occupied by Mike's "art project." But when Christine discovers the true nature of the project, and of her lover, it may just be too late to escape. Directed and written by Julie Nicole Cohen, this dark and surreal romantic drama promises idyllic intimacy and a perfect future for its heroine, who finds herself under the spell of a charming, near-perfect suitor. But the title of the film -- common parlance for an emotional manipulation tactic used by narcissists that dangles intense closeness, affection and the promise of a beautiful future to come, often to obtain a goal or power over someone -- portends something darker. The surprise is seeing it play out in an almost fairytale-like, genre-bending way, bringing an unusual dimension to a story with contemporary resonance. Opening with a dark, foreboding flourish, the film immerses us in the rush of fast-and-furious romance through snippets of conversation set against a series of black-and-white still images, like postcards from a picture-book love story. It's both a strategy of idealization and distance, both engaging and perhaps a little too on-the-nose in its evocation of textbook romance. But when the storytelling shifts to live-action and dark, muted and shadowy color seeps into the film, an odder, more eccentric tone takes over. There are flourishes of a sly humor, like a red flag pinned to a room filled with photos of other women that Mike has seemingly romanced before. There's also a sense of uneasiness when Christine discovers some rope and a giant black bomb in the room, which Mike explains is part of his art. Christine takes his explanation at face value, and the romance proceeds, though when things take a truly sinister turn, Mike drops the perfect boyfriend facade and reveals something much darker. Modern romance, increasingly surreal motifs and a heightened musical score make for an eccentric balance, but as Christine, actor Christine Armstrong is a natural, grounded presence through it all, conveying the joy of being chosen and romanced by a near-perfect man. Actor JJ Dunlap plays Mike, and he's deft at walking the line between sincere-seeming romance and a charm that's just a little too practiced at times. But when Christine asserts herself and questions him, all of that drops, and he reveals what he really is in love with: not Christine, but control, as well as the need to be seen and elevated in a certain way. As LOVE BOMB spins to its dramatic conclusion, it reveals itself as both a clever, darkly literal riff on modern dating and narcissism and an inventive play on fairytale figures like Bluebeard, where the tropes of romance lure and then trap people in dangerous, even abusive situations and all too easily disguise the monsters within. LOVE BOMB. Courtesy of Julie Cohen at https://julienicoledirector.com.