Josie Charles’ impressive Blue Violet offers an ominous glimpse into the world of love and heartbreak. Thanks to her accomplished script and performance, Esme Allen has you gripped as the troubled Blue.

Blue (Esme Allen) is having a nice little evening alone, making a present for her loving girlfriend, Violet (Talitha Wing). However, she is having trouble getting a hold of her on the phone, so she resorts to watching and making a video to pass the time.

We have all been there, young and in love, everything fresh and importantly, you feel alive. You can be yourself, and somehow, as if by some weird and wonderful magic, another person not only likes you but wants to be you romantically. It’s incredible, and in Blue Violet, this is what we see in the home videos that Blue is rewatching as she makes what looks like a simple little present for her girlfriend. However, all is not what it seems if you are watching closely enough.

The quick cuts in the montage of Blue in those opening minutes clue us in early on in this strong 10-minute short that Blue isn’t okay. There are cuts made just before her full reaction is played out that propels you to concentrate a tad more on her body language. These small moments build up more when we are in Blue’s home. Josie Charles leads us on a merry dance, and we are quickly taken to the home video recording Blue is making for Violet. We see a young and happy couple just experiencing life and each other in the fullest of ways.

You are drawn into them as a couple, but somehow, despite all of the laughs you share with them as they have a wonderful time in the woods, that feeling of something ominous never leaves. Then, of course, Violet returns the phone call. Blue Violet takes us on a journey in those last few minutes we never wanted to experience, with that segment that Blue keeps replaying again and again becoming a horrifying but very well-done conclusion.

Esme Allen is taking on double duty as a star and writer. Her performance as Blue is complicated; if you have been in her position, you feel great for her, and Allen grounds the performance just enough for us to believe in this happening. Those nuanced moments in her and Talitha Wing’s performances make Blue Violet as strong as a short as it is. Even in the home video we are watching, countless wordless thoughts are being pushed out by the duo in that tent, and you feel as if you know each one. So when we see Blue alone in her apartment, we know something isn’t right. Blue is seemingly trying too hard to be “cute” with her present; it feels forced for the recording she is making, and it’s marvellously done.

★★★★

Director Josie Charles knows just what to show us throughout Blue Violet so that when we get to those final few moments, the impact is shudderingly effective. A great watch and a short that you should hunt down where you can.

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