Were-Flutter: Darkest Desire is a short about a young woman named Hope who stumbles upon a seductive necklace with supernatural properties. It is directed by Alexis Rameriz. It is written by its lead actress, Lex E. Rojas.

There is no dialogue. It works well without it. The lack of dialogue is not an issue. It adds an air of mystery and makes it stand out. Comparatively, we know nothing about Hope, and this lack of knowledge is an issue. After doing research, I noticed the official synopsis references the “darkest desire.” I can’t tell that there is an underlying “darkest desire.” I suspect most people would assume that it was just evil, and having a dark desire is not necessarily the same. Exploring, submitting to, experimenting with, or coming to terms with dark desires could lead to self-exploration, empowerment, and confidence. By comparison, evil is just evil. Watching this blind, it merely came off as evil. I don’t know if that is what they were going for.

Not much happens in Were-Flutter: Darkest Desire. A chunk of it comes off as filler. I think the issue is Hope accepts her new status quo too quickly. She shows a little bit of momentary confusion, but there’s no fight and no fear. If they lengthened the personal and emotional transformation that takes place, I think they could have been more successful without taking a drastically different approach. I think Lee E. Rojas would have been up to the task because she does a good job as an actress. She emotes well and in a way that doesn’t seem exaggerated.

The events feel somewhat inconsequential to me. There is no hint of what they might lead to, so it’s almost as if they aren’t leading to anything. The editing is basic, and the practical effects are super DIY, but the score, the editing, and the effects all complement each other. Together, they created an environment where I could accept what was happening.

I like the concept of Were-Flutter: Darkest Desire. I’d have liked if they did more with it. I do think it achieves its most basic goals in an appreciable fashion, but I don’t think there’s enough here to win over a general audience.