Synopsis: As a young woman painstakingly prepares a romantic homecoming for her girlfriend, their apartment begins to feel more like a tomb when voices, shadows, and hallucinations reveal a truth she has been unwilling to face.

Calamity Brains:

The premise behind Alone with You is simple: A woman (Emily Bennett) waiting for her girlfriend to come home finds herself trapped in her apartment under mysterious circumstances. But as we get more insight into Charlene’s past, her present becomes increasingly fraught, and the unfolding story raises questions faster than it answers them.

Emily Bennett is forced to carry most of the movie by herself (literally – she’s the director, writer, and main actress). Fortunately, she’s up to the challenge and gives her character good depth. Charlene is sweet and seemingly fragile in flashbacks, which serve as a nice counterpoint to the hurt, anger, and frustration we see in the present. As things unravel, we see her alternately arguing and begging with her mother (Barbara Crampton) and best friend Thea (Dora Madison) via screens, her only access to the outside world. Call it a social distancing film if you want, but it’s hard to avoid feeling empathy with Charlene’s limited connections considering the last year and a half.

As Charlene’s world dissolves, it becomes increasingly unclear what exactly is happening to her… and what is real – and when. Is it just that Charlene is an unreliable narrator? How much danger is she really in? While frequent horror viewers can make educated guesses about the outcome, the movie keeps a high level of tension throughout and wraps it up satisfactorily. This flick was a pleasant surprise, and I’ll be happy to watch it again.

Calamity Brains’ Rating: A