Chaperone (2024)

-Written by Kyle Bain. 

When a down-on-her-luck twenty-nine year old, Misha (Mitzi Akaha), meets a charming, young college student, Jake (Laird Akeo), who mistakes her for a fellow student, her world is turned upside down. As her secret plagues her mind, slowly falling for what appears to be the perfect man, Misha is forced to face her own trauma and a series of other inner conflicts that have haunted her for years. Chaperone is a sort of twist on The Graduate, but with an interesting flair that transcends its entirety. 

Chaperone feels familiar, like we’ve all seen someone fall in love, not realizing a trivial, yet somehow massive secret being withheld by one of the parties. This isn’t entirely new, but Writer-Director Zoe Eisenberg ensures that Chaperone is able to separate itself from the masses and introduce a story that is unique to itself. Again, while this concept feels somewhat familiar, the reality is that it exists in a space that is interestingly different, and that allows viewers the ability to better appreciate the concept, and for it to resonate with viewers along the way. 

Furthermore, I’m wildly impressed by the simplicity that exists throughout the entirety of Chaperone. The concept itself is simple, but filmmakers can often take it upon themselves to convolute more grounded stories; but that’s not the case with Chaperone. The film remains accessible, and while there are certainly twists and turns that alter the trajectory of the film, they never derail it, never force viewers to question the validity of what occurs before them on screen. Everything feels organic in the grand scheme of things, and, as I’ve mentioned before, this lends itself to Chaperone remaining accessible. 

Misha is nearly always enveloped in the gorgeous Hawaiian landscape, and that works in two ways.

1. Misha’s flaws are realized. Paired with the stunning landscape allows viewers to see the juxtaposition between all that Hawaii has to offer and Misha’s shortcomings. 

2. It works in just the opposite way as well. While Misha isn’t perfect, seeing her regularly incorporated into the landscape offers the realization that Misha, too, is beautiful. Both inside and outside, Misha has qualities that are attractive and appealing. 

Again, presenting her as a piece of this Hawaiian whole allows us to better understand and appreciate Chaperone’s protagonist, both the good and the bad. 

Films don’t need happy endings; they don’t need to be wrapped up uniformly. Viewers don’t need to be spoon fed every detail of a narrative in order for it to work. Chaperone accepts this premise, and leaves the film’s finale open to interpretation. There isn’t some moral or philosophical dilemma to dissect once the film fades to black, but it’s necessary for viewers to mull over the implications of what has happened in the final seconds nonetheless. This is my favorite aspect of the entire film, the fact that Eisenberg doesn’t feel the need to coddle her viewers at the film’s conclusion–but rather looks to mirror the real world in an effective way. 

In such a simplistic film, I’m impressed by how much there is to dissect, and the level of detail that Eisenberg included in this project. Chaperone is intimate, charming, and a genuine slice of life that hits a series of notes capable of resonating with viewers in a way that something so typical didn’t initially seem possible. 

Written & Directed by Zoe Eisenberg. 

Starring Mitzi Akaha, Laird Akeo, Jessica Jade Andres, Krista Alvarez, Ioane Goodhue, etc. 

8/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING