By Juan Markos
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 08/30/2025
I attended a special screening of Laurence Cohen’s latest film, Killing Off Connor. This thriller-drama kept me on the edge of my seat. The film is reminiscent of “Memento”, not in terms of plot, but because of its non-linear timeline; however, this becomes clear only gradually.
The story begins with a teaching assistant, Sally, who finds herself duct-taped to a tree in the middle of nowhere, held captive by her student, Connor (or is it Connel?). He lives in a fantasy world, viewing reality through a distorted lens. As the viewer, I was left wondering if we were seeing everything through his eyes. He is trying to write a story, and he envisions Sally as a love interest and a character in his narrative. Despite being his captive, she refuses to play by his rules.
The film opens with him recording her and asking her to send a message to her family. Some scenes are shot with a handheld camera, which I always appreciate, giving it a found-footage feel. Jacob Loeb stars as Connor/Connel, while Hannah Pearl Utt plays Sally. At first, I was puzzled by the name confusion—was it Connor or Connel?—but as the film progresses, I realized that it doesn’t matter; the essence of his identity is blurred. He is visibly confused about who he is, oscillating between reality and illusion. Sally tells him that’s not her name, but he seems to know her to some extent, having chosen her for this fate.
At one point, she manages to free herself, creating a gut-wrenching, suspenseful scene as we root for her escape. She gets away from the tree and reaches a car, only to find Connor there. The keys she thought would help her are not for that car; he possesses them and begins to toy with the locks. Is this her tragic end?
The narrative seems to move backward towards a beginning we didn’t initially see. Are we witnessing the moment he captures her, or does she escape only to get caught repeatedly? It becomes a bit of a time loop, trapping the viewer in a never-ending cycle. We find ourselves back at the tree, questioning how this story will conclude.
Killing Off Connor is a tumultuous film, and Laurence Cohen‘s talent shines through. He not only co-wrote the film with Marc Mercury and Suri Parmar but also edited it, making the editing an integral part of the storytelling. This film is phenomenal; although the narrative isn’t linear, Cohen skillfully guides the audience through the mind of a madman.
Killing Off Connor will screen at this year’s Silicon Beach Festival on Saturday, September 6th, at 2:00 PM, alongside his short film, The Rocket Man. For tickets and more information, please visit SiliconBeachFilmFestival.com
