We Die Alone is a short film directed/written by Marc Cartwright and stars Baker Chase Powell as Aidan, a social anxious guy who is nervous about finding someone to love. He meets Chelsea, played by Samantha Boscarino, who seems to be the woman who he can finally open up to, but maybe Elaine, his co-worker played by Ashley Jones, has been the one he’s been looking for the whole time.
The story of this 24 minute short film is told as a thriller. You never feel like you have all of the answers, or that you can trust any of the characters. The majority of the short is told through Aiden’s perspective. Baker Chase Powell does an amazing job of making Aiden feel slightly untrustworthy, while also making him innocent enough that you as the audience starts to sympathize with him. I feel like everyone can relate to being afraid to put yourself out there, especially in the world of online dating. Granted, Aiden’s methods of almost “rehearsing” for his perfect date go beyond acceptable, and end up being really creepy.
Aiden’s co-worker, Elaine, also is a very relatable character for having such a small part. She clearly likes Aiden, and tries to hint that she is interested, but he never picks up on it. She puts a few lines out to see if he will bite, but she also never truly tells him that she has a crush on him. While Aiden represents complete anxiety over finding love, Elaine is more of the person who never says what she really wants to.
Chelsea, who tells the last few minutes of the story from her perspective, is the girl who seems like she is available and open, but in reality has been hurt so many times and is afraid of getting hurt again. Maybe too afraid? Samantha Boscarino doesn’t play Chelsea like she is totally trying to lead Aiden on, but as someone who thinks she is ready for a connection, but convinces herself that it actually might not be the right time. You can tell that she has had some past traumas that won’t let her go, and end up taking over for her.
I really loved the story of We Die Alone. For me, each character represented a different type of fear that comes while trying to find the one that you want to be with forever. Aiden clearly wants to find love but has always let his anxiety talk him out of it, Elaine is the “best friend” type who doesn’t want to put herself out there for fear of rejection, and Chelsea is the one who has been hurt in the past and thinks that she will never be able to trust anyone again. The horror/thriller undertone for me is really secondary, as any gore or scares are just heightening the feeling of dread. After all, no one really wants to die alone…
9/10
‘We Die Alone’ will be released on VOD/Amazon Prime August 21st
CinemAddikted 