Kaishaku is a heart-wrenching horror drama

The term kaishaku refers to an assistant who performs a decapitation using a Samari sword during a Japanese ritual suicide. This provides a merciful death by ending disembowelment, thus avoiding prolonged suffering. The kaishaku is typically a trusted individual, such as a friend or associate. Director Harry Locke IV and writer Mike Gerbino use this concept effectively in their emotional horror drama Kaishaku, which just premiered at Dances with Films NY. A financially strained mom agrees to be a "spotter" for her friend's suicide, and what unfolds afterwards is a supernatural nightmare.

Stefanie Estes stars as Iris. At one point, she had big plans to use her college degree to become someone and carve out a successful career. However, life interrupted and deferred her dreams. Her son, Graham (Archer Anderson), has emotional problems that require a therapist. Meanwhile, Iris' husband, Jackson (Robbie Allen), works a job he can't stand just to provide for his family. When he's denied a raise, he "sees red" and gets fired, plunging the family into greater financial turmoil.

To prevent her family from moving into a shelter, Iris agrees to be a spotter for her childhood friend Bridgette (Alyshia Ochse), who's also Graham's therapist. Initially, Iris denies the request, even though Bridgette says she's in unbearable pain that's only going to worsen, and suicide is the most ethical choice she can make. Eventually, Iris gives in to Bridgette's request because it saves her family from financial ruin. Bridgette pays Iris hundreds of thousands of dollars. As a spotter, Iris must ensure that Bridgette actually died once she pulls the trigger.

The movie portrays a family's financial hardship incredibly well. Early in the runtime, Iris, with Graham in toe, leaves a grocery store in embarrassment because her cards get declined. She also rations Graham's pills because she can't afford refills. In another emotionally devastating scene, she returns to a deli where she worked in college, begging the owner for her old job back, despite the fact it pays minimum wage. Estes gives a compelling performance, conveying a mother's desperation to hold her family together. Her strained facial expressions underscore her character's constant worry.

When Bridgette sends her the money, Iris buys what most of us take for granted, such as a new lamp and a watch for Jackson. She also opens a deli with him and runs her own business, something she's long wanted to do but never had the start-up funds. Yet Bridgette's suicide didn't go quite as planned, and as a result, Iris is not only wrecked by guilt but plagued by unsettling visions. She's also questioned by Bridgette's husband Mark (Rob Kirkland), who wonders why his life's savings were drained. It turns out that climbing out of a major financial hole isn't so easy for Irish after all.

This is a film that takes its time, letting the drama unfold before the nightmare sequences really hit. Meanwhile, Iris continually sees visions of Bridgette, and Ochse's performance is another highlight. Bridgette is a terrifying figure in the afterlife, constantly appearing to Iris, tormenting her because she failed to "spot" her correctly and fulfill her end of the bargain. Meanwhile, while alive, Bridgette says all the right things to get Iris to agree be a "spotter" in the first place. The film's leading women really bolster this indie film.

The only aspect that doesn't quite land is a traumatic episode regarding Bridgette and Iris' childhood and a deer that Iris stabbed to death. The emotional weight of the event is clear, but there's a moment when Bridgette appears to Iris as a deer-like creature that looks silly in the context of the rest of the narrative. While some of the deer imagery that haunts Iris early in the film is effective, the event doesn't seem as necessary to the broader narrative.

Overall, Kaishaku is a layered and moving horror drama, with gripping performances by Estes and Ochse. While the indie film has its share of unsettling imagery, it's the portrayal of a family's financial hardship and struggles to stay afloat that really land. In the process, the feature tackles heavy ethical issues and the consequences that follow Iris' tough choice to assist her friend and ease her suffering.