Lempo: Laura-Lynn Petrick

Director Laura-Lynn Petrick’s Lempo brings a chilling and intimate story to life on familiar northern waters. Childhood friends Shaun and Annie reconnect at neighbouring cabins, only to be forced to confront an ominous figure tied to Annie’s family history. The film builds toward an unnerving choice: surrender to a family curse or fight back with trust and love. Petrick crafts an atmosphere that’s both eerie and tender, layering the film with unsettling dread while grounding it in genuine emotion. The cinematography shifts fluidly from warm, saturated tones to hazy, shadow-soaked frames, keeping viewers caught between comfort and unease. The characters carry surprising depth for a short runtime; their tension and connection pulls you deeper into the story and makes the supernatural feel more immediate. While the film’s pacing lingers in certain moments, its overall impact is undeniable. Lempo blends striking visuals, careful editing, and sharp sound design into a memorable short that continues to echo after the credits. Petrick proves herself a filmmaker of vision, with passion that seeps through every frame.

-Kaleb Calder