We’ve all thought about it. Punching our tormentors in the face, jump kicking them into oblivion, or launching them directly into the sun. Those wicked daydreams help us get through the psychological labor of surviving a professor or coach who teaches with malice. The kind who wants you to believe they’re doing it because they believe in us. That’s I THINK ABOUT KILLING YOU, the intense sports thriller short film from writer/director Ran Ran Wang (If I Had Your Face, Dying Is Fine).
Tiana Le is Dani, the captain of a Division One collegiate rowing team, who can’t stop fantasizing about killing her Coach (Bridget Regan). Through a conflict that resembles the abusive antagonization in films like Whiplash (2014) or even A Few Good Men (1992), writer-director Wang cuts deep into the malicious heart of manipulation. I THINK ABOUT KILLING YOU is enthralling. In 14 minutes, it slices into us with the razor-edges of predatory behavior—from gaslighting to assault, deflection to contempt, to physical and emotional bombardment. But the story never piles on, exploring its tensions so seamlessly that you’d think you’re witnessing the video evidence of a crime.
Le and Regan ignite in opposition. The stressors steadily build until you’ll be thinking about killing Coach too. Right up until the question of: Will Dani bloody her hands to save herself and her teammates, or won’t she?
