We Lie Here

Alaska Jackson’s cool, calculated narration captures the slow-to-build tension of Hall’s (These Toxic Things) suspense-filled thriller. Yara is reluctantly planning her parent’s 20th anniversary celebration. Little does she know that at that same time, someone she loves is planning to murder her. A few days before the party, Yara begins to receive rude text messages from her father’s high school ex and is followed by a strange man while running errands; eventually, she is lured to a remote cabin where her car tires are slashed. All of these stresses wreak havoc with her asthma and mental health. She begins medicating to control the dreams that start haunting her and proceeds to investigate the web of lies surrounding her. Jackson employs slight nuances when narrating passages of the murderer talking about planning to do away with Yara, leaving no witnesses alive. Jackson’s dynamic range and energy is very limited throughout this production, an approach that is surprisingly effective, particularly when Yara is being gaslighted.