The Dead Thing

Blu Hunt gives a mesmerizing, unusual, internalized performance as a single twenty-something adrift in the stagnant existence of a dead-end job, a temporary-turned-permanent roommate situation, and endless casual dating app hookups in Elric Kane's low-key psychological horror tale. The close-up is the most powerful tool in any low-budget filmmaker's arsenal, and while it's not the most dynamic way to illustrate the monotony and listlessness of Hunt's character, Alex, when we meet her, the full power of the close-up comes into effect after she connects with Kyle, the first guy in a long time to ignite a real spark inside of her. Kyle is played by Ben Smith-Petersen, who is known more for his work as a stunt performer in films like Mad Max: Fury Road, Triple Frontier, and The Suicide Squad and for being the husband of Riley Keough than for his acting work, but that could change if enough people see his stirring, vulnerable, and unsettling performance in this picture. The two leads have an unconventional chemistry that feels ideally suited to this quiet, eerie, and refreshingly adult take on dating, sex, loneliness, and obsession in our always-connected yet never fully present age.