ScreamFest 2025: ‘Affection,’ an unbelievable acting vehicle for Jessica Rothe

Time resetting, repetition, and bending have been common set-ups in horror for years. From Dead End to Lucky and Happy Death Day, the genre obsesses over the merciless hand of time. Rearrangements and varied iterations keep the subgenre fresh and exciting. Writer/director BT Meza mixes time and human memory into a twisty and unexpected elixir with his debut feature, Affection, which played Screamfest this week. It’s a difficult film to discuss without veering into spoiler territory, but what can be said is that Jessica Rothe makes an unbelievable splash in a role that relies heavily on her physical performance.

Ellie Carter (Rothe) wakes up every morning disoriented and unable to recognize her husband (Joseph Cross) and her daughter (Julianna Layne). It’s only alluded that she suffered a severe accident that affected her memory. She imagines this whole other life she’s supposedly lived; nothing before her looks familiar. As any particular day progresses, she learns to accept that what he’s telling her is the truth. It’s difficult for her to trust him and gain a semblance of normalcy. With each reset, she must start from scratch, forever caught between who she thought she was and who she actually is. It’s only up to her husband that she’ll be able to recover what she can and find her identity again.

Ellie’s fractured mind begins to suspect that nothing is as it seems. Her memory of the past might be gone, but she’s here in the present. As she investigates the property, surrounded by fields and woods, the story takes a sharp, unexpected turn. Rothe slips into the role with a deep understanding of space, physicality, and character. There is such nuance and breadth to the performance that make Affection a career-defining moment for her. Paired with Cross, the two sink their teeth into the complexities of a volatile relationship that’s ready to explode at any moment.

Affection, which draws from Meza’s mother falling in love with an abuser, holds its cards close to the vest. Meza crafts a fascinating tale about death, grief, and learning to move on, with intense focus on character arcs and intricacies of those dynamics. Gnarly practical effects lend to the film’s horrifying threads that build tension, suspense, and an overwhelming sense of betrayal and doom. Its one-location, small-cast approach makes the story claustrophobic and hopeless. There’s nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. Ellie is on her own to figure out the truth behind the facade before it’s too late.

BT Meza’s directing is impressive and gets the absolute most out of Rothe. Affection goes for broke in the second half and doesn’t let up until the very last frame. It’s a thrilling roller coaster that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat. You just have to be willing to go along for the ride.