The Chrysalis (Short)
“The Chrysalis,” a short thesis film from writer/director Matt Kravitsky, sets up what feels like a predictable premise, but doesn’t follow through with it in a predictable. That’s always fun to watch, and though I can’t say I loved every decision he makes along the way, I certainly think Kravitsky is smart and engaging with how he approaches his decisions, and has made an entertaining little suspense thriller.
The film begins with two sisters, Liza (Maggie Wetzel) and Megan (Nicole Paige Chaffin), as they are on the road. They are going up to Canada for a sister’s weekend before Megan goes off to school. We see them razz on each other as siblings are wont to do, but their fun weekend is cut short when they get a flat tire. With no tire iron to change it, they are left to follow tire tracks on the snowy road, and they come up to an abandoned warehouse. The sight inside is a bit creepy, and Liza gets more nervous for them when they meet Adam (Brian Dole), who is in a similar situation, and is holing up for the night there. Despite some trepidation, the sisters agree to stay, and the three have a fun time, but something doesn’t quite feel right with Liza about Adam, which makes it difficult when Megan starts to show some affection for Adam.
You might be able to figure out how things play out, or at least, the direction they might be headed in, but the thing that I enjoy the most about “The Chrysalis” is how it charts the character’s progression throughout the film, specifically Liza and Megan’s, through individual moments and shared dynamics. Seeing how the sisters’s relationship transforms through the film with how situations present themselves is intriguing, even more so when you watch the situation unfold, and where it leaves them. Again, this is a predictable premise in a lot of ways, but Kravitsky has some interesting ideas to keep it from being simply by-the-numbers and boring. We leave the film unsettled, not just about what we’ve seen, but what he sets up by the end with Liza and Megan. Kravitsky has some smart storytelling going on here, and it’s well worth checking out.
