Demonstrating visual flair, tight editing, and a clean cinematography to tell a story in less than two and a half minutes, Embrace is a fun little slap of a horror film. Mélanie (Natte You), a therapist, passes an alley every day as she leaves or returns to her home, not noticing the strange metal bucket with numbers scratched on it always present. A slight, strange musical motif (which may or may not be Mélanie’s ringtone) draws her to the bucket when she finally notices it. A lovely denouement plays out as mostly expected and we learn why the bucket has a number.

The film is fast, effective, and well done. Nothing too deep or dense, just a quick, well-delivered shock of a film. Writer/Director/Producer/Editor (and presumably grip/craft services/driver/best boy as well) Zeltser captures Mélanie’s urban, urbane, yet stifling lonely existence in a rapid establishing montage that is exemplary. The payoff quickly follows. I look forward to seeing what Zeltser can do with a longer format and an extended narrative.

9 out of 10