A24’s Hereditary is getting a majority of the “must-see”, “edge-of-your-seat” buzz this week (and rightfully so), but there is another psychological thriller that may be less publicized but is just as powerful.

Director Christina Choe’s Nancy is an intimate look at one woman’s desire for human connection and the lengths she is willing to go in order to find or fabricate it. Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award and Grand Jury Prize nominee at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Nancy opens today at the Nuart Theatre.

Andrea Riseborough stars as the titular Nancy, a thirty-something-year-old woman who works a temp job as a dental assistant during the day and takes care of her ailing and stubborn mother at night. Her appearance reflects her living conditions: disheveled, unorderly, and careless. Her doe-eyed stare is vacant as the routine of her mundane life has clearly taken a toll on her demeanor. To escape from her reality, Nancy creates alter egos online and lives vicariously through each of these personas. All seems like relatively harmless fun until one night while watching the news, she sees an interview with Leo (Steve Buscemi) and Betty (Ann Dowd), a couple whose daughter went missing some thirty years prior. Immediately, something clicks in Nancy’s mind. She is convinced she is their missing daughter.

Nancy calls Betty with the news and after the initial shock wears off, Betty invites Nancy to their home. Betty, the naive optimist, quickly falls in love with Nancy and the notion that her prodigal daughter has finally returned. Leo, on the other hand, is more wary and keeps Nancy at an arm’s length in the beginning. The more time the couple spends with Nancy and vice versa, the more everyone believes in this seemingly impossible happy ending. However, Nancy’s past behavior is questionable; can we really trust that she is the person she thinks she is? Or is this just another false character and elaborate lie?

Choe has successfully created a strong and multi-dimensional female character.

Nancy is writer and director Christina Choe’s first feature film and her debut is a stunning one. Riding that fine line between unsettling and sympathetic, Choe has successfully created a strong and multi-dimensional female character. These types of storylines– where our protagonist is as unpredictable as the wind– are fascinating to watch play out on screen. This convincing story would not have been possible without Riseborough’s fantastic portrayal of this complex woman as she transforms into a manic pixie poster child for mental health. Buscemi and Dowd contribute their talents to round out this small yet energized cast, giving powerful performances as heartbroken parents who believe in a miracle.

Nancy is a slow burn thriller that takes its time to build up the environment and desperation of the characters. It has the ability to make the audience feel physically uncomfortable through the stuffiness of Nancy’s mother’s home, as well as translate the emotional rollercoaster Betty experiences in Nancy’s initial phone call. While it may not make you jump out of your seat in terror, Nancy will send chills down your spine in its own cold and calculating way.

‘Nancy’ is not rated. 87 minutes. Now playing at the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles.