My quick rating – 4.3/10. I went into Rose’s Last Session blind, and honestly, that’s the only way to make it work. If you watch the trailer or read too much beforehand, you’ll probably expect something the film never intends to deliver. The setup is straightforward: Rose, a college student, winds up stranded at her therapist’s house during a storm. What should have been an awkward evening filled with bad small talk and stale cookies quickly shifts into something darker when Rose realizes that Dr. Richardson and his wife aren’t quite who they seem.
Now, the movie likes to flirt with being a slasher, but it never buys dinner or follows through. The kills—what little there are—are about as tame as network TV, so if you’re hoping for creative gore, you’ll be left waiting. Maybe with a higher budget, we could’ve gotten a tad more bloodletting. Instead, Ottinger goes for a slow-burn approach, and while I respect the attempt, the tension never quite gets high enough to really grip you. The breadcrumbs are there, but half the time they feel like someone dropped them by accident rather than with purpose.
Of course, I can’t talk about this movie without mentioning the rain. It’s supposedly so heavy Rose can’t leave, so she’s forced to stay the night. Fair enough. But then we cut to her car, and the windows are wide open. I was ready to roll my eyes and add it to the “low-budget blooper reel,” but surprisingly, the film doubles back and actually explains it away with a twist I didn’t see coming. Touché, Mr. Ottinger—you got me. Unfortunately, not all tropes get dodged. A clumsy fall shows up right on schedule, like the horror gods insisted on at least one.
The acting is where things wobble. Kaitlyn Rochester, who carries most of the film, is hit-or-miss depending on the scene. Sometimes she nails the paranoia, other times it feels like she’s waiting for her cue cards. The rest of the cast—all unfamiliar faces to me—range from serviceable to forgettable. Depending on how you feel about unknown actors, that either helps the immersion or reminds you this is very much a first-feature vibe.
At the end of the day, Rose’s Last Session is more intriguing than thrilling. It has enough atmosphere and a couple of neat surprises to keep you watching, but not nearly enough punch to make you want to revisit it. I have to give credit to Ottinger and Jessica Claire Crosby since I pride myself on figuring things out, and I was in the dark right up until the reveal. I wasn’t mad I watched it, but I also won’t be clearing space on the shelf for a Blu-ray.
