#esme my love

[artfilmfan]

Esme, My Love (Cory Choy, 2022)

[fearsmagazine]

ESME MY LOVE - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: Terror Films

SYNOPSIS: “When Hannah notices the symptoms of a terminal and painful illness in her aloof daughter, Esme, she decides to take her on a trip to their abandoned family farm in a desperate attempt to connect before they have to say goodbye.” - Terror Films

REVIEW: The air is peppered with unease right from the start and continues to build as this mother/daughter trek into the woods becomes terrifying as it descends into madness in ESME MY LOVE. This realistic nightmare set in a dark forest is heightened by a mother’s deteriorating mental state that puts her young daughter in peril.

Cory Choy and Laura Allen’s screenplay is an engaging tale. We are introduced to Hannah and Esme and slowly there are small ticks in the mother’s personality that make us aware that something is off. In the woods lies an abandoned family dairy farm where Hannah’s quest to reconnect with her family history is revealed. Hannah becomes obsessed with digging in order to unearth buried secrets. Esme begins to understand she must put aside her childlike ways and grow up in hopes of getting herself and her mother home. As her mother’s actions circumvent any hopes of either leaving the woods, Esme discovers mysterious clues in the old family home that allows her to get a handle on her mother’s obsession. The writers create a layered and interesting character study - a mother entering into madness and the daughter coming of age. The story plays with the concepts of memory, loss and illness. Hannah and Esme are both plagued by their own phantoms. In terms of the “illness,” the question of it actually being a result of a genetic condition or a psychological condition brought on by guilt is never clearly answered and the viewer is left to form their own opinion. There is a facet to the narrative that reminds me of a Shirley Jackson story. By the final act the viewer’s emotions can feel frayed if they’ve made the emotional investment into the story.

The film rests on the shoulders of actresses Audrey Grace Marshall and Stacey Weckstein. Audrey Grace Marshall is a talented young actress, and I recalled her work in “The Girl Who Got Away” and the TV series “The Flight Attendant.” She delivers a rich and dynamic performance as she goes through a character arc catalyzed by her mother’s unraveling. Actress Stacey Weckstein likewise delivers a strong, unforgettable performance. She demonstrates this internalized struggle where we perceive her dark intentions and her motherly instincts fight for control. Over the course of the film her personality slowly morphs and by the end we are confronted with a different person. The two actresses are compelling, skillfully drawing the viewer into the drama.

The film has beautiful production values. They capture breathtaking images of the wilderness as they play with the lighting to draw out the shadows adding menace to the forest. They maximize the effect of the abandoned locations, and I am curious to see images of what they looked like when they found them and how much dressing they did to achieve the look. I’m sure that there were elements from the plot that added to the set, but they feel organic and seamless to the tale. Director Cory Choy creates hypnotic moments through complex and powerful performances she extracts from her actors. She juxtaposes the characters’ surreal moments, adding depth to the visual narrative. She finds a lush quality in the wilderness and the rustic nature of Hannah’s family’s detritus.

ESME MY LOVE is a surprising and gripping psychological horror thriller. It presents two well crafted , strong female characters that are brought to life through fervent performances. There are some thought-provoking elements woven into the narrative that provide some comparisons and contrast to what transpires. It all comes together in a uniquely haunting cinema viewing experience.

CAST: Audrey Grace Marshall & Stacey Weckstein CREW: Director/Screenplay/Producer - Cory Choy; Screenplay - Laura Allen; Cinematographer - Fletcher Wolfe; Score - Stephanie Griffin & Charlotte Littlehales; Editors - Emrys Eller & Ellie Gravitte; Production Designer - Kyra Boselli; Special Makeup Effects Artist - Chelsea Paige. OFFICIAL: www.esmemylove.com FACEBOOK: N.A. TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/dHqNxHLzZ9U RELEASE DATE: On Demand and Digital June 2nd, 2023

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri

[bradyoil]

Sound Editor Cory Choy's Directs His Feature Film "Esme, My Love."

Here’s what Film Threat says of my guest filmmaker Cory Choy‘s new film “Esme, My Love”: “Choy morphs his film from slice-of-life relationship drama to jarring thriller with skill, contrasting peace with severity with ease. Paired with a compatible score, this is a solid feat in filmmaking.” And here’s a nice piece about the June 2, 2023 release in MovieMaker.  A founding member of Silver Sound,…

[spanishinfluenza]

"If Carlisle was the soul of our family, then Esme was the heart."

everybody give it up for the world's most sepiatone couple

[iveleftitwithyou]

i would pay stephenie meyer the entire contents of my bank account (7 dollars) to write the rest of the twilight books from edward’s perspective ESPECIALLY new moon. i need to know what that weirdo was doing in rio every day

[cookiesandcantarella-art]

Just some kids with no happy ending, no happy beginning, and very few happy things in the middle.

[ID: a lineup of designs for the Baudelaires from a Series of Unfortuante Events. All wear vaguely Victorian/steampunk themed clothing. Violet is tall with red accents on her clothing. Klaus wears blue and Sunny, standing on her own as a toddler, wears yellow ribbons. The children look tired with bags under their eyes. End ID]

[esmeislewd]

if i wasnt meant to be fat why does it look and feel so good???????

[pourablecat]

Surely I can trick myself into using a small pen size if I do one of these ridiculous zoom-out evolution drawings?

[itsallaboutbl]

THAT'S MY BELOVED COUPLE RIGHT THERE

[stars-and-birds]

i think hunter is very physically affectionate. at first, maybe not, but as he gets more comfortable around people and starts receiving physical affection himself, well. i think he’d love that. maybe he’d be flinchy at first, but i think when he grows accustomed to it… i think he lays his head on camilla’s shoulder when he’s tired, and when he’s not. i think he hugs his friends whenever he sees them, even if he saw them an hour ago. i think he melts when willow grabs his hand, and he holds on tight. i think they hold hands whenever they feel like it, in the middle of conversations and when they’re reading together. i think he loves ruffling vee’s hair, and booping luz’s nose, picking up gus. i think as he starts feeling okay with leaning on darius or any of the hexsquad or camilla or eda, he also starts to learn not to flinch when darius raises his hand to ruffle his hair or when amity play-punches him.

and i think one day, he looks at himself in the mirror, and he’s proud of who he’s become

[selkiewife]

ESME BIANCO || Your Page ROS in GAME OF THRONES ↳ TWO WEEKS OF THEON: Lovers, Friends, Family, & Foes

[girls-and-guts]

what if i was traumatized outcast girl , addict, with an absent mother and you were a repressed, surly boy with daddy issues and we became the sole providers for a group of girls that tried to eat you once and i cut a ring of your dead dads finger for you, then i asked you to stay, and then your brother got lost and we spent months looking for him in the freezing cold while trying to find food so i made you think he died to save you the pain but then he’s alive but i get picked to be sacrificed by the spirit of the place we are trapped in and you save me even though you’re mad and your brother dies in my place and then you have to eat his heart and we eat him to survive and i become queen of this messed up wild cult and then we promise to live the rest of our lives because that can’t have all been for nothing .

what if.

[fearsmagazine]

ESME MY LOVE | Trailer, Poster & Images

When Hannah notices the symptoms of a terminal and painful illness in her aloof daughter, Esme, she decides to take her on a trip to their abandoned family farm in a desperate attempt to connect before they have to say goodbye.

Says director Cory Choy, “I recognize that women are underrepresented in film, both on and off screen. And while I didn't set out with this explicit intention, I am very proud to have made a movie exploring the relationship between parent and child that stars only women (one of whom is a little girl), was co-written and co-edited by women, with cinematography by a woman, and features a score composed by women.”

Inspired by true events, the film is “rooted in a family's history and lore”, adds Choy. “Esme, My Love explores the relationship between mother and daughter -- a meditation on love, loss, family and magic”.

SAG Nominee Audrey Grace Marshall (“The Flight Attendant”) headlines and Stacey Weckstein stars in Cory Choy’s supernatural thriller ESME MY LOVE scheduled for a digital release worldwide June 2nd, 2023, from Terror Films.

[l-gale-l]

oh how I love twilight.

[spanishinfluenza]

"God bless us, everyone." is this vampire's fave catchphrase this time of year

[aishien-the-aishien]

A doodle of Carlisle and Esme from "Twilight" (the movies). Because I can.

Hi I only recently saw the Twlight movies and a lot can be said about them but Carlisle and Esme stole my heart anyway. I love them.

For context, this is an AU (?) where Esme is unable to speak due to an issue while Carlisle transformed her. She can speak ASL, though, and for that reason she's showing the ASL sign for "love"