Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Momo and Okarun share a close moment in Dandadan

    Momo And Okarun: The Gold Standard For Shonen Romance

    07/03/2025
    Ironheart Episodes 4 6 But Why Tho 1

    ‘Ironheart’ Explained: Explore MCU’s Bold New Chapter

    07/01/2025
    Buck in 9-1-1

    ‘9-1-1’ Has To Let Buck Say Bisexual

    06/29/2025
    Nintendo Welcome Tour promotional image of the maraca mini-game

    The One “Game” That Justifies The Nintendo Switch 2 Purchase

    06/25/2025
    Destiel Confession in Supernatural - Castiel (Misha Collins) and Dean (Jensen Ackles)

    The Destiel Confession: The Lasting Importance Of Supernatural’s Greatest Ship

    06/22/2025
  • Squid Game
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
  • Summer Game Fest
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » REVIEW: ‘Hearth’ is a Short-Film that Makes Every Second Count

REVIEW: ‘Hearth’ is a Short-Film that Makes Every Second Count

Carolyn HindsBy Carolyn Hinds06/16/20193 Mins ReadUpdated:11/10/2021
Hearth - But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Hearth - But Why Tho

Written and directed by Quebec native, Sophia B. Jacques, Hearth (original title Foyer) is an independent Canadian short film starring Marilyn Castonguay, Marianne Farley, Joel Marin and Guy Richer. After renting her home to a couple, Emilie returns having no idea what they did and what they plan to do.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Over the last 10 years, homeowners have become more open to renting their homes out to complete strangers, often as a source of extra income, in exchange for providing cost effective accommodations for travelers from all over the world. While there are definite advantages to sharing your home with people you’ve never met, Hearth  is a film that will make you think twice about doing this.

The film follows Emilie (Castonguay) as she takes a walk through her house, she reads the letter of appreciation sent to her via the booking app, smiles in gratitude at the bottle of wine left as a gift on the kitchen counter, and is obviously impressed with the pristine condition her home as been left in. As we see her prepare a bubble bath, the scene switches back and forth with images of the couple Alice (Farley) and her partner Tom (Marin) making themselves comfortable in their temporary home.

What at first appears to be a romantic getaway for a couple looking for a new partner to join them, slowly turns into something much more sinister. With seamless editing by Richard Comeau, camera work and cinematography by Jean-Philippe Bernier, viewers become part of the story, rater than feeling like spectators looking on. Even though Hearth has a relatively short run-time of 5 minutes, each second is made to count.

As the time ticks by more of who Tom and Alice are as a couple and their true intentions are revealed, and you become more concerned for Emilie, because she has no idea that the home she sees as a sanctuary has been forever tainted.

As the audience, we watch helpless and filled with apprehension, as Emilie becomes an example of the old adage that ignorance is bliss. Hearth is a tension inducing psychological thriller that fills us with dread of the unknown, and forces us to consider the consequences of allowing strangers into the most sacred space we in habit, our homes.

Hearth has shown at various film festivals including the 2019 Vancouver International Women in Film Festival, Talent tout court | Clermont-Ferrand, 2019 and the Cleveland International Film Festival, 2019. It is distrubuted by H264 Distribution, and was produced by Sophie Ricard-Harvey et Charlotte Beaudoin-Poisson (Ô Films).

Hearth
  • 10/10
    Rating - 10/10
10/10

Tl;DR

As the audience, we watch helpless and filled with apprehension, as Emilie becomes an example of the old adage that ignorance is bliss. Hearth is a tension inducing psychological thriller that fills us with dread of the unknown, and forces us to consider the consequences of allowing strangers into the most sacred space we in habit, our homes.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Transformers,’ Issue #7
Next Article REVIEW: ‘NOS4A2’ Episode 3 – “The Gas Mask Man”
Carolyn Hinds
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

I am a Freelance Film Critic, Journalist and Podcaster - and avid live tweeter. Member of the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), my published work can be found on ButWhyThoPodcast, The Beat, Observer, and many other sites. As a critic, I believe my personal experiences and outlook on life, give readers and listeners a different perspective they can appreciate, and help them to see things in a new light. I am the proud host of Beyond The Romance Drama Podcast - a podcast dedicated to discussing Korean and other Asian dramas, the co-host of So Here's What Happened! Podcast (@SHWH_Pod), and the weekly science fiction film and TV live tweet event #SaturdayNightSciFi.

Related Posts

The Old Guard 2
5.5

REVIEW: ‘The Old Guard 2’ Is Distracted And Half-Baked

07/02/2025
Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey in Jurassic World: Rebirth
5.5

REVIEW: ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ Is Best When Nobody Is Talking

06/30/2025
MEGAN 2.0 promotional image
7.0

REVIEW: ‘M3GAN 2.0’ Puts Action First

06/29/2025
F1 (2025) promotional key art
8.0

REVIEW: ‘F1’ Is A High-Octane Blockbuster

06/24/2025
KPop Demon Hunters Promotional image form Netflix
9.0

REVIEW: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Brings Beautiful Animation And An Even Better Message

06/20/2025
Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later
8.5

REVIEW: ’28 Years Later’ Is How Franchises Should Return

06/18/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8
7.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 7-8

By Sarah Musnicky07/03/2025

The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8 spends welcome time in pre-domestic bliss before new developments stir up trouble.

Together (2025) still from Sundance
8.0
Film

REVIEW: Have A Grossly Good Time ‘Together’

By Kate Sánchez01/27/2025Updated:07/04/2025

Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s Together (2025) is disgustingly funny, genuinely ugly, and just a good time at the movies.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4 Alcatraz
9.0
PS5

REVIEW: ‘Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4’ Gives Old Games New Life

By Kyle Foley07/07/2025

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4 is another example of how to breathe new life into a classic without losing touch of what makes the originals great.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here