Synopsis
Darker Shades of Elise is a 2017 British erotic thriller directed by Jamie Weston. Darker shades of obsession, betrayal, psychological scars, and the consequences of emotional neglect are some of the themes this film explores. It also contains elements of sexual drama and mystery, and the aim is to depict the complex emotional situation of a woman overwhelmed by desire, guilt, and fear.
This film centers on Elise, a cold and beautiful woman in a dead marriage with a soulless businessman called Rick, who also happens to be her husband. They are completely out of touch. Elise is emotionally neglected, and her aspect of life slowly spirals out of control due to the burden of isolation.
Things start to turn around when a charming stranger named David enters the picture. He awakens Elise to extreme erotic fantasies, and soon, an affair materializes. David is able to shower Elise with undivided attention and passion, and Elise is willing to pay the price. Sadly, this new phase in her life is heavily burdened emotionally and physically.
Elise’s life is full of secrets, but now receives anonymous threats that unlock messages, strange encounters, and peculiar happenings that suggest an affair. At first, she blames her husband, but with heightened suspicion from the anonymous threats, she begins to question the very essence of her reality. Her dangerous affair seems to come to an end, but her life seems to shift on the axis of reality and imagination.
As the story is explained, Elise learns sinister truths about her husband, David, and her own life. They surface memories reveal, that she has tried to lock away from her mind, trauma and manipulation. The film’s editing and portrayal of her memories shift in an ambiguous manner, but create a dreamlike and at times uncanny essence. Her paranoia and fear shift the story into an underlying psychological twist that’s frequently tackled in thrillers to create a captivating lens.
The deepening mystery and untold truths sculpt the thriller into foreboding psychological dimensions. Elise is simply a character struggling with fear while coming to terms to reveal the truth behind threats of her life spiraling apart. The untold truths Elise is faced with sweatpants the strips of climax in a shift counter past essence. The film portraying ending remains open to the Elise’s psyche collapse, placing meaning with the void she fills surrounding her life.
Cast & Crew
Director:
Jamie Weston
Weston is known for his work in indie thrillers and erotic dramas. He is visually and thematically known for intertwining tension and sensuality. One of his more notable works is ‘Darker Shades of Elise’ which highlighted his signature psychological storytelling style.
Writer:
Simon Pearce
With his work in the film, Pearce focused more on the characters and the relationship between them rather than plot-focused twists. He is known for his writing on suspense which in this case, is of the slow-burn pace.
Production Company:
Proportion Productions
A UK based studio recognized for its horror and thriller films on shoestring budgets. ‘Darker Shades of Elise’ is consistent with the brand of sensual thrillers produced primarily for streaming services.
Main Cast:
Becca Hirani as Elise
Hirani gives a bold yet vulnerable performance in the role of an emotionally fractured protagonist. The role itself is demanding as it requires the display of courage, fear, and a psychological breakdown. She shows a mixture of suffrage and quiet strength in her portrayal of Elise.
Darcie Lincoln as Sarah
Elise’s friend and sometime-confidant. Sarah is able to shed some light on Elise’s emotional state prior to the affair, which is valuable to understanding her character. Sarah is primarily a supporting character.
Tommy Vilés as David
David is the alluring lover who catalyzes Elise’s metamorphosis. He combines charm with mystery, adding an alluring but possibly harmful edge to the role. Most of the film, his true motives are buried in the fog of uncertainty.
Arron Blake as Rick
Rick is Elise’s husband, who is emotionally unavailable. His performance captures the chill of the marriage, setting the framework for Elise’s cheating. Blake’s character is not one to root against as a husband, but rather, he is absent, which pushes Elise to seek comfort in another relationship.
David Royal as Detective Dalton
A character who does not appear until later in the film but becomes active once the danger to Elise escalates. His contribution in the film’s last part adds a noir-like touch to the film’s third act.
IMDb Ratings & Critical Reception
Darker Shades of Elise has an IMDb rating of approximately 3.9 out of 10, which is a rating that suggests negative reviews from both audiences and critics alike. It is, however, worth bearing in mind that the film resides in a very niche and polarizing category of film — low-budget erotic thrillers.
Film Analysis:
Visual Aspects Tone and Atmosphere: The film’s use of limited lighting and muted colors conveys a sense of tension and mystery, creating a dark and moody visual atmosphere. The film highlights Elise’s emotional struggles with long shots and close ups.
Erotica Classification: The film is classified primarily as an erotic film. Critics suggest some scenes are shot more tastefully than others, arguing a more psychologic, less erotic approach would be more compelling.
Narrative Development Structure: The pacing of the film focuses primarily on Elise, and drags out her internal struggles. While this pacing has the ability to develop character depth, it tests the viewers patience when it seams to lead absolutely nowhere.
Perfomance: The strongest aspect of the film is arguably Becca Hirani. She breathes Elise to life and takes the film on her shoulders, despite a lack of story and character development among the supporting cast.
Dialogue and Writing: Themes of trust, identity, and trauma are, more often than not, brushed over due to how the script is written. Emotive scenes felt dull when matched with the mundane and robotic dialogue that accompanied them, while interactions felt out of touch.
Budget Constraints: The film is clearly low-budget as seen through the set design, production quality, and special effects. Despite the limited resources, some locations, such as Elise’s apartment, are creatively utilized as psychological traps.
Conclusion
An attempt to blend eroticism and psychological themes, Darker Shades of Elise tells the story of emotional repression, sexual liberation, and one’s mind unshackled. This film is not for the average viewer as the emotional pacing is slow, the production is low-budget, and there is a heavy reliance on sexual content. However, for some, the haunting and ambiguous nature of the film provides a richly rewarding experience for those that enjoy deeper character-driven studies.
Elise, the main character, showcases the internal struggles of a person during a psychological vortex: She is a woman split between wish and remorse, tangible and intangible, affection and dread. The film does not serve as a conventional thriller; rather, the viewer is invited on a character-stripped exploration revolving around the mind.
At its core, Darker Shades of Elise preaches the emotional costs of fantasy, the dangers of emotional neglect, and the sensitive boundary between voyeurism and dread.
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