[Film Review] The Empty Space (2023)

Andrew Jara Continues to evolve with The Empty Space (2023).

Andrew Jara’s delve into the complexities of grief blends the warnings of Pet Semetary with the discomfort and unease of psychological horror using the good bones of a clearly personal script to weave a tale of trauma, isolation, and self-initiated freedom. 

Aimee (Valerie Arlene) is quietly suffering months after the violent death of her partner Noah (Joe Sinclitco) the night of her birthday party when a masked assailant makes a surprise appearance. Though she makes wholehearted attempts to move forward--through new jobs, grief counseling, and new friendships--she can’t shake carrying Noah with her, manifested in her insistence on constantly wearing a yellow beanie he gave her the night of the attack. When Noah suddenly returns, any joy Aimee might have had is stymied by his bizarre and increasingly dangerous personality.

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It’s an interestingly complicated script, at least in what it’s trying to tell us as Aimee battles her demons. She carries Noah with her physically in the form of her talisman-like yellow beanie, as well as emotionally in her agoraphobia and deteriorating social skills. Throughout the first act we feel her pain, we want her to find solace, and when it comes in the form of Noah seemingly reborn it seems like it should feel good. But this is a horror movie after all, and nothing is quite what it seems. The man who has returned isn’t the one who left Aimee behind. This version of Noah is smug, he’s jealous, he’s violent, he’s manipulative. And it reveals the critical flaw in wishing something back to life to replace the pain of losing it: you’re still never free. Noah has simply found a new way to keep her prisoner in her own mind and home.

In many ways the film also delves into the complexities of romantic relationships themselves. At the climax of the film Aimee recounts all her moments with Noah, the good and the bad, declaring that no relationship is the sum of its parts. It’s more nuanced than that. And the brand of absolutism this bizarro Noah is offering her feels like safety to someone as vulnerable as Aimee but is obvious to the audience, and ultimately Aimee, as dangerous manipulation.

Jara’s film has all the makings of that indie feature that eventually finds its way to a bigger budget one day. And while the depth of the script did its job well, it was held back throughout the film by the acting choices of various cast members. Still, the core of what the film is getting at is present. A mixture of the pain of loss and the dangers of codependency. In many ways, it feels like the evolution of the ideas Jara put forward in his COVID era short film “Wellness Check” which featured an unnerving young woman harassing a man over FaceTime before ultimately escalating her obsession. In The Empty Space, the idea of isolation is explored more fully and the dangers of obsession and codependency is more refined. 

The film is ultimately a great effort from the director and even the cast, though some fine tuning could be done on that front. Ultimately, in our rich world of indie horror, this is a worthy addition to anyone’s watch list as it feels in many ways like seeing the early work of someone who will continue to make a name for himself in the world of horror.

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