Slamdance 2024 Film Festival  – In writer/director Zoe Eisenberg’s Chaperone, 29-year-old Misha (Mitzi Akaha) is tired of everyone judging her and telling her to make something of herself instead of working at an art house theater. She then dates a boy about ten years younger than her, Jake (Laird Akeo), who’s still in high school. What easily could have turned into a film about a predatory character is instead a feature with a lot of nuances, though it’s not without its obvious uncomfortable moments.

In some ways, Misha caught a break in life, in that her parents gave her a pretty nice house close to the ocean in their native state of Hawaii. Yet, they also want her to sell the house and move into something smaller, since she’s unmarried and has no kids. There are little moments throughout this film that show Misha doesn’t strive for more in her life, or even confront the reality of being on the cusp of 30. For instance, the house has a persistent leak that rots part of the porch’s floorboards, which turns into a bigger, bigger problem. Her fridge won’t close, so she keeps it shut with duct tape, and it takes about an hour into the movie until she finally calls a repairperson to fix it. In other words, Misha just isn’t very good at adulting. She tries to push off reality, but it ultimately bites her.

When she meets Jake, Misha finds renewed excitement in life, and because she wears an old T-shirt, Jake initially thinks she attends a rival high school and is around her age. Somehow, Misha keeps skirting the fact she’s older, even when she meets Jake’s mom, Georgia (Krista Alvarez), who truthfully looks about the same age. This film is not without its uncomfortable moments. This is a woman who takes advantage of a younger man and lies to him throughout the duration of the movie, somehow masking her age from he and his friends. You really feel bad for the guy, and from the get-go, it’s clear the truth will surface by the final act.

Yet, somehow, Eisenberg, and Akaha in her performance as this antihero, make the viewer feel complex emotions for Misha. Yes, it’s absolutely horrible what she does to Jake. That said, it’s understandable that she gets sick of everyone, including her brother, telling her what to do with her life. More than once, she tells those closest to her that she’s content and happy, even if she’s barely scrapping by working at that theater. Good thing she doesn’t have a mortgage. This is certainly a well-written script that takes a controversial subject, in this case a woman dating a guy still in high school and gives the two main characters a lot of depth. That said, Misha’s actions do have a lot of far-reaching consequences, which escalate as the movie goes on. Her decisions are indeed destructive.

Chaperone is one of those dramas you’ll sit with and think about after the credits roll. It has complex characters and weighty subject matter. Eisenberg gives us a character in Misha who commits some pretty awful actions, while trying to show her point of view. This is anything but a simple movie, and it treats its subject matter carefully.

7 Out of 10