A few reviewers have said, "The less you know going in, the better". I agree; it is a clever twist on an old horror adversary and worth your time, a slow build-up and a bittersweet end. Very well-acted and allows the viewer to work it out. It does not lead you by the hand; at its dark heart, it's a love story. Don't go in expecting all gore and jump scares; this is a horror drama.
29 Reviews
Well executed
patrickharding-6301313 April 2021
This was a perfect, short movie that was very well acted and directed. Yea it was nothing new under the sun but I liked the execution of it. So much better then cheese fests like It Don't listen to the haters. It won't win any awards but I think if you have a heart this one will appeal to you.
Pretty good for a horror romance.
pulley-cc95 April 2021
Highly original film
martoxley15 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Great cinematography and atmosphere, set mainly in a small cottage in the winter and in the woods in the Welsh countryside.
I totally got what director Jennifer Sheridan was trying to achieve and she accomplished it very well.
The acting by Matt Stokoe (Sam) who also wrote the screenplay and Sophie Rundle as Rose was excellent.
Set mainly in the small, dark claustrophobic cottage.
Over the course of the film we are shown what sort of sacrifice Sam was making for Rose ( who had some kind of unspecified illness, not unlike vampirism). Because of his love for his wife, this I found very touching.
Overall a highly recommended film, if you have a half a brain and understand the sensitivities of the characters.
I give it seven out ten overall.
I totally got what director Jennifer Sheridan was trying to achieve and she accomplished it very well.
The acting by Matt Stokoe (Sam) who also wrote the screenplay and Sophie Rundle as Rose was excellent.
Set mainly in the small, dark claustrophobic cottage.
Over the course of the film we are shown what sort of sacrifice Sam was making for Rose ( who had some kind of unspecified illness, not unlike vampirism). Because of his love for his wife, this I found very touching.
Overall a highly recommended film, if you have a half a brain and understand the sensitivities of the characters.
I give it seven out ten overall.
Likable
flashfluidimdb11 February 2022
You look good today
nogodnomasters3 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Sam (Matt Stokoe ) and Rose (Sophie Rundle ) live in a remote home because Rose feeds off of blood. Sam gets leaches to suck out his blood. When a girl is caught in one of Sam's traps, it disrupts their life.
Rose has a reflection but sometimes loses control. The film was mildly interesting waiting for something to happen.
Guide: F-word. Sex. No nudity.
Rose has a reflection but sometimes loses control. The film was mildly interesting waiting for something to happen.
Guide: F-word. Sex. No nudity.
Part beautiful, part thorny.
PaulWFranklin23 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
'Rose' (to use its short title) is an interesting piece, for sure.
As the second part of the name suggests, it is indeed a love story, more than a horror. More like 'Beauty and the Beast' than 'The Number of the Beast'.
The characters are strong, and well acted. From the start we are gradually introduced to this curious couple and their off-the-grid existence, with some very low-key lighting. Things get more interesting with the introduction of some leeches (and cool blue lighting), and conflict was set up with a young Scouse kid.
But after that it lost its course somewhat. Out of the blue, Amber stumbled into their secluded little world, and this seemed particularly conceited. A pregnant teen from a broken family who wandered - in the snow?! - into the middle of the forest miles from anywhere. I didn't buy this. She was also rather an annoying character.
However the two leads were excellent, and I totally sympathised with Sam's tough "I'm not letting anyone screw up our life" attitude while also feeling Rose's "She needs our help" sentiments.
The finale was satisfying enough, but I really feel the script could've done with a bit more development, and a bit more of a frantic finale.
Also, from a professional point of view, the camera shots Cross The Line a lot. Which is very amateurish and annoyed the hell out of me.
Overall: Worth watching, for sure, but 'Could do better'.
As the second part of the name suggests, it is indeed a love story, more than a horror. More like 'Beauty and the Beast' than 'The Number of the Beast'.
The characters are strong, and well acted. From the start we are gradually introduced to this curious couple and their off-the-grid existence, with some very low-key lighting. Things get more interesting with the introduction of some leeches (and cool blue lighting), and conflict was set up with a young Scouse kid.
But after that it lost its course somewhat. Out of the blue, Amber stumbled into their secluded little world, and this seemed particularly conceited. A pregnant teen from a broken family who wandered - in the snow?! - into the middle of the forest miles from anywhere. I didn't buy this. She was also rather an annoying character.
However the two leads were excellent, and I totally sympathised with Sam's tough "I'm not letting anyone screw up our life" attitude while also feeling Rose's "She needs our help" sentiments.
The finale was satisfying enough, but I really feel the script could've done with a bit more development, and a bit more of a frantic finale.
Also, from a professional point of view, the camera shots Cross The Line a lot. Which is very amateurish and annoyed the hell out of me.
Overall: Worth watching, for sure, but 'Could do better'.
If you're expecting hardcore vampire antics... this maybe isn't for you.
dartgabriel30 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
However, if you enjoy a character and dialogue driven story with horror elements, then this is spot on.
Spoilers ahead...
First off... I really liked this movie, though it's not without some flaws. Rose and her husband, Sam, live in a remote cabin, off the grid. Sam hunts and gathers, while Rose is locked inside typing away at a novel. From the out, it's clear something isn't quite right with Rose. When Sam returns from a hunt with three rabbits, he must immediately wash off while Rose must don a mask soaked with essential oils. Then there are the leeches. Sam bloodlets in a room bathed in blue light while Rose begins making animalistic chirps from the dark. You know... all normal stuff married couples do.
The movie does a very good job building the tension, helped along by a claustrophobic setting. When a stranger calls, we all know something will happen. It's just a question of how and to what end.
This film is carried by the lead actors. They're both really quite good. The movie is very light on action, being something of a slow burn. The finale did feel a bit tacked on, but it was satisfying nonetheless.
Overall, this was enjoyable. Then again, I like dialogue. People will point out the lack of action, and they're right. Still, this was man good watch.
Spoilers ahead...
First off... I really liked this movie, though it's not without some flaws. Rose and her husband, Sam, live in a remote cabin, off the grid. Sam hunts and gathers, while Rose is locked inside typing away at a novel. From the out, it's clear something isn't quite right with Rose. When Sam returns from a hunt with three rabbits, he must immediately wash off while Rose must don a mask soaked with essential oils. Then there are the leeches. Sam bloodlets in a room bathed in blue light while Rose begins making animalistic chirps from the dark. You know... all normal stuff married couples do.
The movie does a very good job building the tension, helped along by a claustrophobic setting. When a stranger calls, we all know something will happen. It's just a question of how and to what end.
This film is carried by the lead actors. They're both really quite good. The movie is very light on action, being something of a slow burn. The finale did feel a bit tacked on, but it was satisfying nonetheless.
Overall, this was enjoyable. Then again, I like dialogue. People will point out the lack of action, and they're right. Still, this was man good watch.
Why? Why? Why?
aarpcats6 December 2021
Good actors and beautiful scenery ask us what would happen if the illness of a spouse permanently altered the way we relate to the world. The release of the film coincides with the second year of the COVID pandemic, which of course suggests this film as metaphor, but the premise could easily apply to ALS, Parkinson's, or any number of incurable diseases. Horror films are one of the ways we allow our psyches to imagine a world where the worst of our fears happen, but, 120 minutes later, we return to bills, dental appointments, etc. They are a pressure valve to release naturally occurring anxiety with contrived anxiety.
That's exactly why you have seen the movie about romance and affliction dozens of times, and you know exactly what is going to happen the minute you see Rose shuttered up in her isolated house. You know what is wrong with her, and why her husband is angry and remote. You know how lonely they are. You know the fate of each character as he or she is introduced, and you know how it's going to end. What you don't know is how in heck this movie got good reviews.
I don't know either, but my guess is that the pandemic put so many people in front of TV sets that the streaming services needed content. I think a lot of low budget, straight to video films got released from the moldering vault of screen hell.
That's exactly why you have seen the movie about romance and affliction dozens of times, and you know exactly what is going to happen the minute you see Rose shuttered up in her isolated house. You know what is wrong with her, and why her husband is angry and remote. You know how lonely they are. You know the fate of each character as he or she is introduced, and you know how it's going to end. What you don't know is how in heck this movie got good reviews.
I don't know either, but my guess is that the pandemic put so many people in front of TV sets that the streaming services needed content. I think a lot of low budget, straight to video films got released from the moldering vault of screen hell.
What a novel way to tell a story!
vmalarcon23 May 2021
It's something similar to 'the girl with all the talents'. Except that in this case it wasn't zombies. The scenery is peaceful and clean but you get the feeling that something is off. You don't know what but there is a sense of dread throughout. Anyway, it got me interested. Really fun movie to watch!
More to this than meets tge eye.
Maverick196224 April 2023
A young couple live in seclusion in a cabin in the woods. An old theme perhaps, but this is an intelligent variation on that theme. The couple seem perfectly normal other than the man has a fairly violent temper when he's crossed. The woman (popular Sophie Rundle, best known for playing Ada Shelby in Peaky Blinders) appears to be writing a book on an old typewriter, all very normal. Her husband has a regular delivery of petrol but one day his usual delivery guy doesn't turn up and this is when things turn sour when someone else turns up with excuses but no petrol. Later a girl is heard screaming in the woods and the husband equipped with a hunting rifle investigates and finds her with her leg caught in an animal trap. He takes her back to the cabin and is something of a Bear Grylls whereby he's a survivor and can fix broken legs. This plays out like a Tales Of The Unexpected and we see something that I never saw coming so it's worth seeing this little horror movie. It is very dark but stick with it and you will be rewarded.
Boring meh
BuriedEntertainment7 April 2021
Why in the name of hell are people saying that this is intriguing and original?!
I like slow passed movies and building up tension but nothing happens in here, I didn't care a bit for any of the characters, and this type of story is anything but new.
It felt like a complete hour of nothing.
I like slow passed movies and building up tension but nothing happens in here, I didn't care a bit for any of the characters, and this type of story is anything but new.
It felt like a complete hour of nothing.
Different
LetsReviewThat2617 April 2023
Rose or rose a love story was an interesting british movie. It follows two people that live in an isolated cabin in the middle of the woods. These are rose and sam and played by sophie rundle and stokoe they play the roles well though it becomes a little flat. Its not the actors fault though just some of the diolog felt a little wrong but I enjoyed the overall mystery of which this film brought. They are fine theres some scenes involving leeches and such which gives you ideas to what is really going on and the fact that rose cannot go out in the sunlight. There is also another mysterious girl we get introudced to called amber. She is olive green and provides a much needed third character. Overall rose was an intersting and different minimal cast movie which in the end played out well.
I wish it had a fatter script and budget
ladnerlowery16 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
For the first fifteen minutes of my phone I kept checking IMDB and the Internet as I was wondering why I had never heard of this film. From the very start of the film, the acting from the male and female lead is faultless. This continues for the rest of the film. It is exactly the genre I enjoy so it was a gem to find.
The film only feels low budget when any other actor is on film. I also wish the info regarding a child and a back story had been fleshed out. I also wish there had been more of a script or point to the final character Amber. Amber was not on screen long enough to provoke any feelings towards the character or any protective instincts. Was she pregnant to her stepfather? I wish this could be remade with the same two main actors but with a tighter script and better supporting actors.
The film only feels low budget when any other actor is on film. I also wish the info regarding a child and a back story had been fleshed out. I also wish there had been more of a script or point to the final character Amber. Amber was not on screen long enough to provoke any feelings towards the character or any protective instincts. Was she pregnant to her stepfather? I wish this could be remade with the same two main actors but with a tighter script and better supporting actors.
Why
Hrichard776 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Really boring and predictable, the two main characters are not very appealing although the two actors do their best I suppose. The story is quite predictable I guessed it with a few minutes , the hut in the woods bit is old hat now and the what happens next ending is very boring now.
It was a great movie until it wasn't .....
demonizer8426 September 2023
Ok so this is a movie IV contemplated watching for a while , I have always been dubious and not sure it was something I'd enjoy .
I had the impression it would be a dull artsy farty bore fest so skipped it.
Tonight I decided to give it a go and surprisingly it hooked me more or less straight away. I find some of these indie films really well done and it's always good to see the handsome barman and I chuckled as Finn turns up ( misfits fans will get this)
I thought for what clearly was a low budget movie the acting was spot on until later in the movie and the characters even whilst mostly in a single location had good chemistry and kept you intrigued and wanting to learn more about them and what exactly is going on .
Down the line another character enters the fray and it was about here where I was totally invested and wanted to see how things played out , I was already in the head writing the story of what I was about to watch and was thinking to myself wow this is actually really a good movie and not at all what I was expected ........ then it all went a bit wrong .
I would stop reading here if you want zero spoilers . I'm not going to spoil the plot or how things turn out but even with little said I think anything given away it may spoil your viewing pleasure or put you off completely ,however if this is not a factor then read on.......
So as the movie starts to get you really drawn in ,it all comes across a little rushed I was really expecting another 30 mins or more and would of easily watched maybe another 60 of these characters going a certain way , hearing some backstory and have a fitting conclusion ....
But what gets set up I can only explain as you have a sudden overwhelming case of diarrhoea, no matter what you are doing you just have to get up and go no matter how serious or important what you were doing previously was .
This is how I felt with this movie , everything was good ,everyone was sitting comfortably and then wham! Diarrhoea! Woosh it's over and gone , and in the words of the great Ron Burgundy himself you are left thinking wow that escalated quickly .
I was at this stage questioning myself with a literal ... wait ? What? Ok then ? .... then the movie changes scenes and you are like oh ok now we are going to see things from another angle and get closure...... nope roll credits .
It left a really sour taste as it got me hooked and then it's like they just gave up and wrapped up far too quickly out of nowhere .
Overall I'd say it's worth a watch , but if you ain't a fan of abrupt movie endings ,or movies not answering questions or leaving things ambiguous then maybe give this one a skip.
I had the impression it would be a dull artsy farty bore fest so skipped it.
Tonight I decided to give it a go and surprisingly it hooked me more or less straight away. I find some of these indie films really well done and it's always good to see the handsome barman and I chuckled as Finn turns up ( misfits fans will get this)
I thought for what clearly was a low budget movie the acting was spot on until later in the movie and the characters even whilst mostly in a single location had good chemistry and kept you intrigued and wanting to learn more about them and what exactly is going on .
Down the line another character enters the fray and it was about here where I was totally invested and wanted to see how things played out , I was already in the head writing the story of what I was about to watch and was thinking to myself wow this is actually really a good movie and not at all what I was expected ........ then it all went a bit wrong .
I would stop reading here if you want zero spoilers . I'm not going to spoil the plot or how things turn out but even with little said I think anything given away it may spoil your viewing pleasure or put you off completely ,however if this is not a factor then read on.......
So as the movie starts to get you really drawn in ,it all comes across a little rushed I was really expecting another 30 mins or more and would of easily watched maybe another 60 of these characters going a certain way , hearing some backstory and have a fitting conclusion ....
But what gets set up I can only explain as you have a sudden overwhelming case of diarrhoea, no matter what you are doing you just have to get up and go no matter how serious or important what you were doing previously was .
This is how I felt with this movie , everything was good ,everyone was sitting comfortably and then wham! Diarrhoea! Woosh it's over and gone , and in the words of the great Ron Burgundy himself you are left thinking wow that escalated quickly .
I was at this stage questioning myself with a literal ... wait ? What? Ok then ? .... then the movie changes scenes and you are like oh ok now we are going to see things from another angle and get closure...... nope roll credits .
It left a really sour taste as it got me hooked and then it's like they just gave up and wrapped up far too quickly out of nowhere .
Overall I'd say it's worth a watch , but if you ain't a fan of abrupt movie endings ,or movies not answering questions or leaving things ambiguous then maybe give this one a skip.
Engaging, if not original, take on an old storyline
rubellan1 April 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I admit that I generally avoid vampire movies. It's a tired old story line that rarely interests me, unless it's done a bit differently. I didn't realize that's what I was in for with Rose, I just went by the single sentence summary I read, and after seeing it pop up many times in the list over the last months, I went ahead and watched it.
You knew early on this was a vampire story. The perfect husband bleeds himself with leeches so his wife can mash them up and have a meal that keeps her 'disease' temporarily in check, and so as not to infect him with direct blood sucking contact. The relationship between the two leads is sweet, although you knew it wasn't all self-sacrifice without any regrets. While hubby seems like the ideal caregiver with nothing but love for his spouse, it's eventually (and I guess predictably) revealed that it's not entirely the case. He does have his bottled up resentment that comes out in the old trope of an abrupt burst of negativity, followed by the quick and half-hearted "I didn't mean it".
Everything goes on smoothly with hubby being the hunter/gatherer and making sure the generator has fuel, that is until the traps he sets captures a runaway teenager instead of an animal. Initially, you expect maybe they'll just kill her to prevent anyone coming for her, and they do play this up a bit in between the protective and moody father bits. The plan is made to drop the teen off at a hotel and give hubby a couple of nights of relative normalcy while wife tries to encourage him to move on with his life.
But then, just like a teen, trouble starts brewing at the dinner table. She asks too many questions and things blow up into a completely different direction from there. Teen overreacts, twists her broken leg and bleeds, wife goes nuts from the blood but hubby subdues her. She chomps down on hubby and he's fine with it since it's somewhat controlling things. Teen stabs Mrs. Vampire, who then dies fairly easily. After a moment of sorrow, hubby quickly transforms after the direct bite infection from his wife sets in, he attacks/kills teen, or at least that's what's assumed by the cut to black. The daylight appears as we see a character from earlier in the film on his way, with a handful of others, to the cabin in the woods for an unknown finale.
Overall, I admit that the movie kept my interest. Perhaps it's because an isolated cabin in the woods always sounds good to me, and I found the love story, as unrealistic as it is in the self-obsessed world of today, kinda nice. It is a slow burn movie but I generally like those when the story is interesting enough. It's clear most of the action was saved for the final seconds of the film but I think it worked, especially when it took the story in a surprise direction. Definitely worth a viewing.
You knew early on this was a vampire story. The perfect husband bleeds himself with leeches so his wife can mash them up and have a meal that keeps her 'disease' temporarily in check, and so as not to infect him with direct blood sucking contact. The relationship between the two leads is sweet, although you knew it wasn't all self-sacrifice without any regrets. While hubby seems like the ideal caregiver with nothing but love for his spouse, it's eventually (and I guess predictably) revealed that it's not entirely the case. He does have his bottled up resentment that comes out in the old trope of an abrupt burst of negativity, followed by the quick and half-hearted "I didn't mean it".
Everything goes on smoothly with hubby being the hunter/gatherer and making sure the generator has fuel, that is until the traps he sets captures a runaway teenager instead of an animal. Initially, you expect maybe they'll just kill her to prevent anyone coming for her, and they do play this up a bit in between the protective and moody father bits. The plan is made to drop the teen off at a hotel and give hubby a couple of nights of relative normalcy while wife tries to encourage him to move on with his life.
But then, just like a teen, trouble starts brewing at the dinner table. She asks too many questions and things blow up into a completely different direction from there. Teen overreacts, twists her broken leg and bleeds, wife goes nuts from the blood but hubby subdues her. She chomps down on hubby and he's fine with it since it's somewhat controlling things. Teen stabs Mrs. Vampire, who then dies fairly easily. After a moment of sorrow, hubby quickly transforms after the direct bite infection from his wife sets in, he attacks/kills teen, or at least that's what's assumed by the cut to black. The daylight appears as we see a character from earlier in the film on his way, with a handful of others, to the cabin in the woods for an unknown finale.
Overall, I admit that the movie kept my interest. Perhaps it's because an isolated cabin in the woods always sounds good to me, and I found the love story, as unrealistic as it is in the self-obsessed world of today, kinda nice. It is a slow burn movie but I generally like those when the story is interesting enough. It's clear most of the action was saved for the final seconds of the film but I think it worked, especially when it took the story in a surprise direction. Definitely worth a viewing.
Boring, nothing to see here
traceytak15 September 2021
Classed as a horror it's basically a couple (plus a girl when she arrives) until the last three minutes and then a anticlimactic ending which if you hadn't guessed it is obvious. Some might call it a slow burn, i would call it the same scene on a loop, couple argue then reassure each other. I can't imagine how bad the other London film festival sward contenders were if this managed to get nominated.
Love is grand
urbanswami20 April 2021
Although it's labeld as a horror movie, it's actually a drama. A tragic love story of a married couple, who go to great lenghts to keep the life they built together intact with a semblance of normalcy. There is a horror element in the movie, but it's no big mistery since it's given away pretty much in the first scene. It's significant only insofar as Chekhov's gun dictates. The meat of the movie is a slow, beautifully shot and well acted love story, that keeps your interest despite it's pace. I recommend, you watch it.
Booooring
iainmcleod_80020 September 2021
S'alright
Lack_of_Tesco_Meal_Deals29 September 2021
Lockdown film
elliotjeory19 September 2021
Had me shouting what the ****?! Loads, but in a good way.
oconnorbriann27 September 2021
Absolute gem of a movie. Like I said had me shouting what the ****?! On several occasions. In parts tense, scary, and surprisingly tender with really good heart. Avoid spoilers, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Much better than it's score would suggest.
Quite unique but lacked substance.
becky-9234625 May 2022
Rose: A Love Story (2020) follows a husband looking after his wife who has a mysterious illness. However, everything changed when an uninvited guest enters their secluded home. This film showed potential and wasn't terrible. It had a couple of redeeming factors but just wasn't effective in what it was trying to achieve.
The acting was pretty good and I have no issues with the actors' performances, but the characters themselves weren't set up well. They felt way too bland, so it was hard for me to have sympathy for them. Alongside this, the dialogue wasn't engaging and felt way too safe.
The movie was filmed well and was clear for the most part, however the scenes at night were too dark and I couldn't see what was going on. The setting was beautiful and felt isolated too. The colour palettes were quite bland, but there were a few nice ones that complimented the set design.
There isn't much to say about the score and audio as they were both very average. The score was quite forgettable and didn't have much to it. The audio mixing was good, nothing stood out that was bad, but the filmmakers just didn't include any interesting techniques to comment on.
Lastly, I did like the pacing as it was slow and steady but it made no attempt to grip the audience. There was no atmosphere and tension until the last 20 minutes, which I enjoyed. The ending was okay but I was expecting more from it, it just ended super abruptly.
The acting was pretty good and I have no issues with the actors' performances, but the characters themselves weren't set up well. They felt way too bland, so it was hard for me to have sympathy for them. Alongside this, the dialogue wasn't engaging and felt way too safe.
The movie was filmed well and was clear for the most part, however the scenes at night were too dark and I couldn't see what was going on. The setting was beautiful and felt isolated too. The colour palettes were quite bland, but there were a few nice ones that complimented the set design.
There isn't much to say about the score and audio as they were both very average. The score was quite forgettable and didn't have much to it. The audio mixing was good, nothing stood out that was bad, but the filmmakers just didn't include any interesting techniques to comment on.
Lastly, I did like the pacing as it was slow and steady but it made no attempt to grip the audience. There was no atmosphere and tension until the last 20 minutes, which I enjoyed. The ending was okay but I was expecting more from it, it just ended super abruptly.
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