Renowned actress Colleen West abandons her successful career for a secluded life in the hills. But the peace and quiet she longed for is disrupted by the noisy construction of neighboring housing developments. Before long, Colleen discovers that she can’t stand herself now that she has given up the only thing she has ever truly been passionate about. As an alternative to isolation, she reluctantly befriends her jubilant, whimsical neighbor and reconnects with her estranged brother. Haunted by loneliness and past desires, Colleen begins to feel as if her life was lived through the characters she has played on stage and screen.
Acting
Ellen Barkin's unraveling is masterclass-level destruction.
Direction
Cam Archer's dreamy fragmentation mirrors Colleen's fractured psyche.
Cinematography
Washed-out California hills that look like depression feels.
Director
Cam Archer
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Ellen Barkin reportedly took the role for scale pay after a string of studio flops, mirroring Colleen's desperation.
The film's title and fragmented structure directly reference the 'annus horribilis' concept and post-2008 economic collapse anxiety—Colleen's gated hilltop isolation failing to protect her from internal ruin.
US
