How does a shy young woman become entangled in such a sleazy world of swindling? Opening with what seems to be either a sex-call racket or an act of role-playing is a provocative way to pull viewers into the thriller’s seedy orbit. However, this isn’t your average pairing of lovers. Nor is this a graphic display of sexual arousal that will make you blush.  

Thank goodness for that.

Eleni, a nurse, is brought into a retirement community to help with Douglas’s nightly routine. An elderly man with piercing blue eyes, sharp wit, and wandering hands, Douglas may cast an intoxicating gaze, but his easy seduction of Eleni and the other nurses never quite drew me in. Perhaps his age is so conspicuous that the dynamic feels less taboo than simply icky. Once he casts his spell over the impressionable Eleni, she becomes willing to do almost anything for his attention and affection.  

The scam is simple: a female employee contacts an older man, passes herself off as his granddaughter, and begs for help after a supposed accident that could send her to jail for years. Seniors have long been easy targets, and what better way to exploit their sympathy than by masquerading as a relative in distress? The mysterious attraction to Douglas amplifies the moment he puts the receiver to Eleni’s ear and instructs her on exactly what to say. The reward is not only the “money requested to pay off the cops for her release” but to also appear confident and obedient to her new master.  

Douglas is strikingly cunning, with a devilish knack for making his “girls” feel wanted and needed. He draws them in with unsettling ease, brushing against their vulnerability until they surrender to his control. Eleni’s need to feel essential to his game stems from her longing to be desired. Before long, she becomes hooked on the calls, pleading with Douglas to let her continue the scams even after victims begin reporting and recording the cons used against them. It makes us wonder if she’s obsessed with the scheme or with Douglas?  

When Douglas’s daytime nurse is replaced, Eleni is consumed by jealousy. At a twisted gathering where Douglas tries to force merriment onto the drugged nurses, Eleni pushes herself into his line of sight—and into his arms—only to face a rejection that nearly breaks her. From the start, his mockery has functioned as a grooming tactic, designed to keep her obedient and firmly in place.  

Even in his advanced age, Douglas knows exactly how to read his night nurse—studying her movements, her voice, and the restraint that keeps her tethered to him as the scams intensify her fixation. Even after whispering “you’re too old, you make me sick” only proves to be an aphrodisiac of lustfulness during their sessions which set her body on fire. The creepy element is never hidden…he IS old enough to be her grandfather, the age gap is abnormal in the real world, and the entire story is so off-putting, that I’m glad I hadn’t eaten beforehand.  

Eleni is driven by fear. Douglas is driven by dominance. And I was driven to almost vomit during several intimate moments. Just my hunch that this would end on a bad note, it was a bit refreshing to watch his earlier premonition finally come into play… “let me take care of you.” Maybe he’s not such a bad guy? Maybe he just enjoys doing bad things. Either way, you learn to play along, which is exactly what he wants.

Total surrender.