Vague Visages’ Chestnut review contains minor spoilers. Jac Cron’s 2023 movie features Natalia Dyer, Rachel Keller and Danny Ramirez. Check out the VV home page for more film reviews.

In Chestnut, a timid college graduate named Annie James (Natalia Dyer, Stranger Things) delays a move from Philadelphia to Los Angeles after meeting a flirty woman, Tyler (Rachel Keller, Tokyo Vice), and her kind co-worker, Danny (Danny Ramirez, Top Gun: Maverick). Director Jac Cron shows major filmmaking potential with her feature debut, though the underdeveloped screenplay will presumably irritate the casual moviegoer. As Tyler and Danny develop separate relationships with Annie, their motivations become increasingly unclear. But perhaps Cron’s minimalist writing style is the key to truly understanding the female protagonist’s point of view.

There must be some industry buzz surrounding Cron, given that she managed to cast three stars-in-the-making for Chestnut. As Annie, Dyer portrays a passive poet who receives emotional support from her widower father (heard only through phone calls); she’s a young woman who is clearly in the middle of some type of sexual and/or artistic awakening. With Tyler, Annie sees a potential lover, though she doesn’t fully understand the heavy flirting. As for Danny, he helps Dyer’s protagonist fill in the blanks at a local bar full of bartenders, servers and writers. From beginning to end, the character dialogue feels purely natural, even if some of Cron’s commentaries about gender and the subjective nature of art feel forced. Overall, though, Chestnut is a strong piece of technical filmmaking, evidenced by the director’s attention to detail during interior scenes (in which the mise-en-scène informs viewers about Annie’s personality) and the stylish neon color palette during bar sequences. Plus, Matt Clegg’s fluid cinematography shifts around the main players with ease, allowing for some tight staging during key character moments. Beyond all the visual flair, though, Chestnut reveals little information about Annie’s new friends.

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Chestnut is Challengers-lite. Meaning, there’s a queer romance angle between the three leads but nothing explicit. Whereas Luca Guadagnino’s controversial 2024 film plays out like an extended music video, Cron’s debut keeps music in the background as the main protagonists cryptically gaze at each other. And so Chestnut is a sexual film without any sex. In Challengers, the main players roar with opinions and direct statements. In Chestnut, the protagonists softly whisper as background needle-drops make it difficult to understand the dialogue. Cron succeeds with her overall scene execution — in terms of creating a vibe around Annie, Tyler and Danny — but there’s just not enough depth to the screenplay. Yes, it’s clear that Dyer’s protagonist struggles with loneliness and sexual frustration, but the pull from her new friends doesn’t feel strong enough to justify a longer stay in Philly. A kiss from Tyler doesn’t lead to anything more beyond that; a nice chat with Danny reveals little about his actual wants and needs. Incidentally, Chestnut consistently suggests that it might turn into a psychological horror film, as it often seems like Tyler and Danny may harm Annie or, at the very least, manipulate her with malicious intent.

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Chestnut works as a character-driven drama, yet the director’s supporting players (beyond the three leads) add little with their performances and dialogue. Dyer’s acting elevates Cron’s debut, though the best bits transpire when she’s on her own, with a couch-moving scene standing out as the most telling sequence; a symbolic moment about independence, pain and perseverance. Moving forward, Cron doesn’t need to make too many adjustments to transform into an exciting auteur. She just needs to focus more on writing clean, non-suggestive dialogue that better explains her characters. From there, performers like Dyer, Keller and Ramirez can do the heavy lifting to complement Cron’s visual style.

Chestnut released digitally in July 2024.

Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor.

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