Let
2024 · 16m · USA
Directed by Alyssa Loh
Tones: contemplative, tender
An isolated British law student in New York wrestles with a compulsion toward pain and self-harm; when her usual partner stops wanting to partake, a surprising night with a stranger she picks up at a bar carries her into new territory.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Sonoya Mizuno in a tender BDSM short that refuses the sensationalism every other 'kink' short reaches for — this could be the rare one that gets it right. SXSW premiere doesn't scare me here.
Loh brings Sonoya Mizuno to a SXSW-premiered short on BDSM tenderness, in the considered lineage of Strickland's The Duke of Burgundy and Sciamma's tactile sensuality. The cast and festival run confirm a film of evident quality.
16:08 SXSW world premiere with Sonoya Mizuno (Ex Machina, Devs), An-Li Bogan, and Juliana Canfield (Succession) — Loh writing/directing a BDSM-as-tenderness piece with that level of cast attached, plus Sarah Greenbaum DP, signals festival-tier execution. The subject usually gets sensationalized in shorts; the cast suggests this one doesn't.
Reviews
Writer/director Alyssa Loh explores vulnerability and human connection with real tenderness, crafting a narrative that depicts non-normative desires with empathy and nuance.
Loh masterfully paints a vivid portrait of her protagonist, showing us her vulnerabilities, her desires and her efforts to conceal them, with careful cinematography and editing infusing the visual language with patience and insight.
Festivals
- SXSW Film Festival 2024
- Palm Springs International ShortFest 2024
- Seattle International Film Festival 2024
- New York Asian Film Festival 2024
- HollyShorts Film Festival 2024
- Denver Film Festival 2024