Director: Yara Estrada Lowe/ US/ 2024/135 mins
Cast: : Carlo Mendez, Liz Fenning, Crystal Hernadez
Review by Matthew Morlai Kamara
The story centres on Caleb (Carlo Mendez), a brooding landscaper in Los Angeles caught in a dangerous love triangle. While married to the devoted Celine (Liz Fenning), he’s entangled in a steamy affair with the enigmatic Fiona—who may also be her alter ego, Fabiola—played with seductive duality by Crystal Hernadez. When Celine announces she’s ready to start a family, Caleb tries to walk away from temptation and rebuild his marriage. But nothing is ever that simple. Soon after, Celine falls pregnant — and that’s when things really begin to unravel. What follows is a descent into obsession and emotional warfare as Celine becomes determined to reclaim every ounce of Caleb’s devotion, no matter the cost.
Cinematographer Justin Aguirre crafts Los Angeles into a hypnotic, heat-drenched labyrinth — bathed in electric hues and simmering menace. Every glittering pool reflects danger. Every lingering glance is laced with threat. The atmosphere is thick with tension. Meanwhile, Jeff Clayton’s synth-heavy score pulses like a slow heartbeat, seducing the audience before turning romantic tension into crawling dread.
Performance-wise, the cast delivers. Mendez gives Caleb a potent mix of guilt and desire, never tipping too far into stereotype. Fenning is quietly haunting as Celine — vulnerable, watchful, and just unhinged enough to make you uneasy. But it’s Crystal Hernadez who steals the show. Her performance as Fiona/Fabiola is a masterclass in mystery — sensual, dangerous, and emotionally raw.
Demise grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go. Lowe leans into the genre with style and confidence — seductive, stylish, and pulpy in all the best ways. But beneath the glossy surface lies something darker: a sharp, bruising exploration of control, power, and the devastating cost of betrayal. Lowe does not just tell a story of obsession — they dissect it with a scalpel, exposing the raw nerve beneath. The final act is a slow-motion car crash of emotion and bloodshed that is guaranteed to leave audiences shaken.
It is twisted. It is toxic. And it’s terrifyingly intimate. Demise is a slow-burning noir drenched in desire—and it lingers long after the lights come up.
Demise is on digital release from 14th April.
