Penelope's Vexing Dilemma

Bruce Von Stiers

Penelope is sitting on a stool at a bar. She texts someone, saying she doesn't think she can do something. The reply is from someone named Delilah, who tells her it would be good for her.

This is the opening scene for the thriller short film Vexed.

Penelope starts up a conversation with Molly, a woman who had just come into the bar. Penelope begins talking about a bad date with a jerk of a guy. The bartender, Paul, serves up a few drinks for the two women and they seem to be hitting it off good.

There appears to be something going on just under the surface. Although there isn't a direct attraction between the two women, it seems to be heading that way.

Just when things look like this is just another bar hook-up, things take a decidedly wicked turn. I really can't say more than that because it would spoil the ending. And you definitely will want to know what happens at the end.

Rachel Amanda Bryant portrayed Penelope. She's been featured in such films as In Bed With a Killer and The Campus. Rachel also starred in the noir thriller, The After Party, which I reviewed about three years ago. Rachel shows her character in this film to be not too sure of herself. But is resigned to doing what Delilah wants her to do. Rachel also wrote the screenplay for this film.

Molly was played by Tiffany Lanae Sutton. She has been seen in films such as Invisible Terror and Jet Set LA. Tiffany brings a bit of playfulness and boisterousness to her character, especially when Penelope and Molly discover a shared past.

Skyler Caleb was Paul, the bartender. You got the impression that there was more to Paul than just slinging drinks. And you'd be right. Skyler has been in several films, including the great comedy short film, Good Business Sense, that I reviewed a while ago.

Besides the text message, Delilah only appears in one scene in the film. She was played by Elizabeth Hales, who has done voiceover work on several video games and has appeared in shows such as Yellowstone and The Cleaning Lady.

The film had additional actors portraying bar patrons. They were Shauna Garrett, April Yanko, Rhyan Schwartz, Kelsey Dougherty, Michael Jimenez and Justin Wested.

The cinematography was well done. The bar has the kind of low-light effect that you get in a real one. And the close-up shots of Penelope and Molly provide a muted, almost faded background. That gives the audience an opportunity to appreciate the facial expressions and body language of the two women.

The film was directed by Gene Blalock. He has directed episodes of Horror Haiku and the Orpheus Protocol along with films such as The Nightmare Gallery and Seize The Night. Blalock also did the editing for this film.

The cinematographer for Vexed was Daniel Button. He was the cinematographer for Seize The Night and Witnesses. Jason Sayada did the sound mixing. He previously worked on several feature films and short films such as Insidious Clown Party and I'm Going To Get You.

The film was produced by Rachel Amanda Bryant, Skyler Caleb and Gene Blalock. The executive producer was Nick Somers, who produced episodes of Horror Haiku and Orpheus Protocol.

The film had an original musical score from Karel Havlicek. His work includes films for HBO Europe and the Czech crime mini-series Profesor T.

The soundstage for Vexed was Nvisionate Studios. This studio is also the home for Seraph Films, which was the production company for the film, along with Blueberry Hill Media.

Vexed was an intriguing film. I wasn't sure what was going on at first. It was a thriller, so I knew something bad was going to happen. But was it an abduction, robbery, murder or even something more heinous? Was it going to be a hook-up gone terribly wrong or another thing all-together? I was pleasantly surprised by what unfolded as the actual bad thing happened.

I am not sure when Vexed will be released for the general public. But the film is being featured at the upcoming Chattanooga Film Festival.

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© 2023 Bruce E Von Stiers