Atticus (Cameron Cowperthwaite) and his wife Charlie (Maiara Walsh) have lost their spark, and their relationship has hit a rough patch following a miscarriage. Atticus has lost his way after abandoning his dreams of being an artist, while Charlie has thrown herself into hectic job. The couple are invited by their close friends Sebastian (Mark Hapka) and Naomi (Maya Stojan) to celebrate Sebastian’s latest avant-garde erotic exhibition, but when they’re asked to take part in it, tensions and jealousies come to the surface.
‘Bight’ is the debut from writer-director Maiara Walsh, who also stars in the lead role of Charlie. Viewers will likely recognise her from hit shows ‘Good Trouble’ and ‘Desperate Housewives’, but with this project she’s determined to show a different side to her talents. ‘Bight’ is riding on the wave of the return of the erotic thriller, which has seen a resurgence thanks to the likes of Nicole Kidman’s ‘Babygirl’ and Sydney Sweeney’s current box office smash ‘The Housemaid’. With only four characters in the whole film, this could very easily be a stage play.
It's clear from the outset that something has happened between Atticus and Charlie, and their friends Sebastian and Naomi. The dinner invitation is met with reluctance, and it soon transpires that the last time they enjoyed each other’s company, they indulged in more than a three-course meal. That encounter led to fractures in the relationships between all involved, so when Sebastian suggests that Atticus and Charlie allow him to take erotic photos of them, unresolved feelings quickly threaten to boil over.
The premise of the film is intriguing, and it feels timely when we live in a world where open relationships are becoming more and more common. It’s clear that Atticus and Charlie’s problems aren’t just coping with their miscarriage, and that their desires may lay outside of one another but they’re too afraid to admit it. Sebastian and Naomi are incredibly forward, and it’s not long before passion takes priority over common sense.
Perhaps where the film struggles is in establishing the relationship between the foursome. Atticus and Charlie seem fairly ordinary but Sebastian and Naomi are just straight-up odd. Everything about them is off, and you’d think had you previously engaged in a foursome that the subject coming up again mightn’t be a huge surprise. Well, to Atticus and Charlie it takes them by surprise but against their better judgement they find themselves ripping open old wounds and taking their already damaged marriage to dangerous new lows. It’s hard to understand why these people would even be friends in the first place, let alone remain friends after a night of group sex.
The central four actors are all very good in their roles. Maiara Walsh and Cameron Cowperthwaite, who also wrote the film, are believable as a couple in a rut. Mark Hapka and Maya Stojan lead into the weirdness of their characters, and while they do have chemistry together, it’s less evident when they’re interacting with Walsh and Cowperthwaite’s characters. The script occasionally veers into being overly ponderous, with the film taking a rather bizarre subject far too seriously.
‘Bight’ has plenty of ideas and while it fumbles its way to a conclusion that will leave you bewildered (well, it left me feeling that way), there is plenty to enjoy. The erotic thriller has been dormant for too long so it’s nice to see it making a comeback, but a Sharon Stone classic this isn’t. ‘Bight’ will give you plenty of food for thought but the overly soapy tropes of the main story mean that it falls short of its own lofty ambition.
Cast: Maiara Walsh, Cameron Cowperthwaite, Mark Hapka, Maya Stojan Director: Maiara Walsh Writers: Cameron Cowperthwaite, Maiara Walsh Certificate: Unrated Duration: 92 mins Released by: Scatena & Rosner (S&R Films) Release date: 10th February 2026
