Affection (2026): A Familiar but Disturbing Twist on Memory-loss Thriller

Jessica Rothe, best known for the Happy Death Day films, returns to the horror genre in a much smaller scale project – an indie first time feature from BT Meza. However, it immediately displays a confidence of someone far more experienced as it opens in the aftermath of a car accident. As Rothe stumbles around, she begins to experience extreme bodily shocks, a strikingly disturbing opening image, especially as nobody seems to be around to help her. This results in her passing out and suddenly waking up in bed next to a man who claims to be her husband, Bruce, and father to their daughter, while she is determined that she remembers having a son and a completely different husband. Bruce insists that she doesn’t even know her own name, blaming it on her ‘condition’ that has resulted in them moving to an isolated house in the woods, a decision he claims they made together.

Immediately, there is a sense of uncanniness with this entire situation – are we watching a woman recovering from a mind-altering accident or is something more sinister happening? Meza very patiently allows the story to play out allowing the reveals to have maximum impact and feel as significant as they should be. Affection is intriguingly comparable to another film touring festivals, Honey Bunch, in its themes of the intersection between caring for someone and loving them, but where that leant into its genre stylisation, Affection keeps it more grounded, allowing the horror to creep in from the edges.

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The performances from the three performers also help sell the emotive horror at the heart of the story. Joseph Cross as Bruce compellingly plays the ambiguity as to whether Bruce’s motives are sinister or compassionate and conveying all the complexities of this supportive husband who is trying to hide how on the edge he is. Julianna Layne as Alice similarly gives the endearing child performance you would normally expect but also sells the confusion that Alice feels from her mother’s erratic behaviour. But Rothe lives up to her reputation giving a physically committed performance that sells the horror, whether she is reacting to it or creating it. She shows a clear understanding of the film’s tone, shifting from quiet emotional distress to full on horror movie panic.

While this approach highlights the film’s strengths, its more overt genre elements fall slightly short as a consequence. There are some very impressive practical effects work and effective scenes of daytime horror, however, the execution is stronger than the actual content. By the second half of the film, there is a reliance on familiar tropes such as expositional video tapes that are necessary to progress the plot but somewhat detract from the emotional storyline. These moments of cliché are particularly jarring when alongside moments of subtlety, such as the emphasis on senses as a way to recovering memory – the touch of your maybe husband as you dance, the smell of perfume, the sound of a piano being played. It’s a compelling take on the standard memory-loss thriller but unfortunately, these moments of psychological introspection become lost as the plot becomes the driving focus.

Despite these flaws, Meza makes an impressive debut with a small scale production – three cast members on mostly one location – telling a story that increasingly builds in scale as it plunges deeper into its ideas and themes. It pokes at an interesting theme on how much our identity is connected to memory, that isn’t over-explained and allows space for the audience to mull over its ideas. Genre is always a great space for indie filmmakers to make their mark and Affection stands out as a great example, with it’s emotionally resonant story and another demonstration of Rothe’s inherent star quality that hasn’t been allowed to shine as much as it deserves.

MIKE’S ARCHIVE – AFFECTION