Indigo Valley
“Indigo Valley” is written, directed and stars Jaclyn Bethany, as Isabella, a former child actress recently released from rehab, who is traveling to Iceland to meet up with her recently married sister Louise, and her husband John. Louise and John are on their honeymoon, backpacking through the Iceland tundra, and with the addition of Isabella, who seems more interested in herself and what she desires, turns their honeymoon upside down. As they all travel the cold bleak wilderness, John is tempted by Isabella, who is constantly pressuring him into being interested in her. Through jealousy, insecurity, paired with the loneliness and sexual tension reflected by their journey, what John thought would be a loving honeymoon getaway quickly turns into a living nightmare of his own doing. In this drama, directory Jaclyn Bethany takes us deep into this dark and twisted affair with expertly crafted cinematography and powerful performances that were very nice to watch, and worth exploring.
Firstly I want to center on director Jaclyn Bethany. She had a lot of weight on her shoulders with not only worrying about writing and directing the film but to be the main character and have so many moments hinge on her performance seems almost an absurd amount of pressure for one person to handle. Alas, she absolutely triumphed in every aspect and I cannot commend her guts to put it all out there. Her performance was dark and utterly macabre in some moments, however, the deeper flirtatious tones she exudes throughout her performance when interacting with John, played by Barney White, are spectacular.
White was also exceptional in his role as a newlywed who in some points you can’t tell if he’s going along with Isabella’s temptations, or is only trying to comfort a new family member and show empathy to her situation. There’s a great scene between the two where Isabella tells a story from when she and Louise, played by C.C. Kellogg were children that sets up the finale and also shows Isabella and John’s true feelings for each other that I think played very well and was a favorite moment for me. Louise though not having a lot to do with the story is still acted by C.C. Kellogg very well. She seems as if she has been in the same situations with Isabella so many times that she’s physically exhausted when Isabella arrives. It is a very subtle performance that still has emotional depth and weight to the story and was very good.
On a technical level, “Indigo Valley” shines. It was very impressive and beautiful shots to sink your eyes into, and the framework done in the dialogue scenes were expertly crafted. With such a beautiful location like Iceland, you’d have to expect the director and cinematographer to really utilize the location and they absolutely did that in this short. The editing and pacing of the film were also very even and steady, I didn’t ever feel lost while watching it and it never really slowed down for me as well.
Overall, I think “Indigo Valley” is a great film because of how much care and attention was put in by Jaclyn Bethany. It has a fun and twisted story with impressive character moments, well-written dialogue, and an ending that will keep you in your chair even after the film has ended.
