On a remote wooded island, a young woman becomes caretaker to an old man in a vegetative state. She has no cell signal, no Internet. Only a year out of high school and forced to meet the needs of a man who cannot respond, Joslyn vacillates between finding solace in his company and feeling fear and anger towards him.

Shot on Whidbey Island in Washington state, Joslyn retreats to the woods to escape from something. As she sneaks off to use an antiquated computer, it’s clear that she’s trying desperately to connect with others—including a lover who seems trapped in her iPhone. Several intimate moments stand out, details that add up to eroticism on the most personal level. As the monotony of daily routine starts to unravel, boundaries collapse, and Joslyn struggles with sexuality, guilt and loss.

Mark Jackson’s debut feature is so tense, so brittle that it seems poised to explode at any moment. With ethereal cinematography, Without builds on a nuanced performance by Joslyn Jensen and a stark script to create a virtuoso piece with deep resonance.