Affection Film Review: Memory-Bending Thriller

If you can get past its twist, Affection breaks its premise’s expected boundaries and lingers with you through morally poignant questions.

Affection is interesting from its premise alone, as it makes stakes and tension very clear from the start. When Ellie has no idea who she really is, that sort of struggle for identity is one of those primal fears we can relate to easily. The tension comes from who she should trust and what the consequences will be for that choice. Bruce could be trying to trick her into a life she never had or wanted, but he could just as well be innocent and Ellie could end up hurting him if she doesn’t believe him.

The film is hyper-focused on the relationship between the two, so much so that Affection has no other cast besides their supposed daughter Alice (Julianna Layne, of Long Bright River). Such a story required a strong lead, and Jessica Rothe proves to be that every single moment. Her fear and mistrust at the unfamiliar world around her would not come across as strongly to us if it wasn’t for her performance.

However, as much as I was initially hooked with Affection, I also had some apprehensions that the truth would be too predictable. While the tension is definitely present on what the truth behind Ellie’s memory lapse is, I figured the reveal couldn’t go beyond either Bruce being a crazy kidnapper or Ellie being a crazy patient, so I was dreading the tension deflating after the inevitable twist.

***Possible light spoilers in the rest of the review***

Now to move on to possible light spoilers, the twist involves a shift in not just the plot or characters, but the film’s genre as well. While Affection starts out as a very grounded, isolated real-life thriller, at around the halfway mark it lays out its reveal and turns into a sci-fi story with a bit of body horror. It is a drastic change that could potentially throw off your immersion, and whether you can enjoy the film or not will depend on how much you can accept the genre change.

While I did suffer a little whiplash, I ultimately still could focus on the story because the core emotional components remained grounded and relatable. The story becomes not just about a struggle for identity and paranoia, but also about how people deal with grief and how that grieving can veer into unhealthy territories. A bad twist would have invalidated everything prior to it for shock value, but Affection builds upon what it laid down before even after the twist.

The twist also brings a bit of moral greyness to the characters. While there still is a clear protagonist, the twist doesn’t suddenly create a clear hero and villain. Even though there is an antagonistic force, it remains relatable, even if not excusable. It gives an element of tragedy to the story. An issue horror stories can face is that the tension can run out after a while; horror is a short burst in adrenaline, after all. So relying on more character-driven, tragic aspects to support the story after the initial scares was a smart move.

With that said, while I can commend Affection’s character and emotional work, it unfortunately ends up being only average in regards to its horror aspects. The film’s horror sequences amount to people walking around scared or creepy camera movements. They can still work and I should stress the scare scenes aren’t outright terrible. The climax shows us one of the most memorable extended sequences in the film, but it also feels unnecessary and almost shoehorned in compared to the actual climax that unfolds. The film gets extra points for not relying too much on jumpscares with loud noises, though.

The ending is where the film springs another soft reveal on us, and it’s the reason why I bumped up the score an extra half star from what I initially planned. Some may find it implausible, but I found it to be an extra gut punch that adds an additional layer to the tragedy of the story. If anything, it certainly leaves a lasting impression.

Again, the main issue that will divide people on Affection will be whether the twist is too much or not. A genre shift is a risky move, but for me, it paid off in the film’s favor due to it not forgetting to keep the character aspects consistent. And with earnest performances to back everything up, this is a directorial debut that I’ll indeed remember with affection.

Affection will be released in select US theatres on May 8, 2026 and on digital platforms in the UK on June 8.