A Portrait of Envy

Cementing her status as a promising young actress, Riley Rose, star of the award-winning “Archer House” short film, shows up again in A Portrait of Envy, a 9-minute short film written and directed by Enrique Garcia. Rose portrays Gillian, a timid yet artistic young woman who believes she’s finally won over Jerry (Kris Kjornes) when he asks her to paint a portrait for him. However, everything is not as she believes and the film quickly evolves into a simple, yet disturbing psychological thriller.

While at first glance it would seem that A Portrait of Envy is vastly different from Rose’s last film, Archer House, her characters strike a remarkable similarity in the way they are outsiders almost transparently on the edge. Rose has the rare ability to remain still within her characters, and is able to use her entire physical being in both subtle and quite direct ways to communicate nonverbally. Riley Rose, currently working on her BFA at University of Southern California, is a talent to watch for over the next few years.

While A Portrait of Envy is largely centered upon Rose’s character, Kris Kjornes offers a solid supporting performance as Jerry while Jennifer Popagain does nicely in a brief appearance as Jerry’s girlfriend.

Garcia’s script is quite basic, yet is wonderfully enhanced by a complementary production design along with Tahlee Booher’s cinematography and a musical score that companions the film’s disturbing feeling without overpowering or manipulating it.

An illustrator and graphic designer by trade, Garcia is currently in production on his second short film, a horror film, due in Summer 2008. A Portrait of Envy can be viewed online and is available for purchase on DVD by visiting the director’s website.