Shelley

Set on a remote lakehouse in Denmark, the home is cut off from modern comforts, lacking electricity and relying on self-sufficient routines. The couple grows their own food and keeps chickens, with the landline being their only outside connection. The stark seclusion creates a tense backdrop that shapes the characters' behavior and the unfolding drama.

🏝️ Isolation

The remote lakehouse acts as a pressure cooker, trapping Elena with the couple and their secret. The setting heightens paranoia and mistrust, making every odd event feel like a consequence of being cut off from the world. The film uses the physical distance to intensify emotional and psychological conflict. Isolation becomes a character in its own right.

🤝 Ethics

Surrogacy is treated as a moral bargain that crosses boundaries, with Elena agreeing to carry a child in exchange for a future home. The arrangement blurs lines between care and coercion, highlighting power dynamics at play. Questions of consent, agency, and exploitation arise as the situation spirals. The narrative uses this premise to explore trust and manipulation.

🍼 Parenthood and Power

Motherhood becomes a weaponized form of power within the house, with Shelley as a focal point for desire and danger. The pregnancy distorts Elena’s body and perception, while Louise’s maternal impulse shifts toward control and fear. The baby’s presence exposes the fragility of family bonds under strain. The tension culminates in violence and an unresolved mystery.