Stunt professional Lee Whittaker turns filmmaker after years of earning his stripes on film and television through stuntwork, and even cutting his teeth at the helm for a time with the 2015 short film drama, Catching Fireflies. Aimee marks his feature debut, joining him alongside creative partner Mary Whittaker and co-writer Kara Myers for a period of development that would see the project nourished from its proof-of-concept stages a little over five years earlier, to its full-length delivery now brought to life with none other than Jamie M. Timmons in the title role.
Shepherding our story of course is Jess (Jet Jandreau), a former U.S. Marine homeward bound from touring in Afghanistan after a brutal mission that has left her suffering from PTSD. It is not until she finally lands in the states, however, that she learns of the violent kidnapping of her younger sister, Aimee, and with the cops slow to make any real-time progress, Jess decides to take matters into her own hands. With a little investigative work and intuition, clues via breaking news headlines, and some specialized military software, Jess and fellow Spec OPS cohort Dan (Eric Pierce) are able to narrow their search down to nearby suburbia, raiding select holding houses while treading as carefully as possible without landing in trouble with the law. The only question that remains is can Jess avoid cracking under the pressure of her own mental state, and tread fast enough to reach Aimee before she’s gone for good?
With Whittaker in the wheelhouse as director, Jandreau is right in her element in her latest segue to action star. She came off another project in Australia and made haste with the limited time she had to train and prepare for the role, ultimately doing most of her stunts during production with stuntwoman Olivia Brown quarterbacking throughout. Featuring fight choreography by Beni Alexander (Overrun, Twice Bitten), the result is an apt and exceptional performance combining acting caliber with screen fighting acumen rarely seen in just any drama professional.
Delivering an equally impressive performance is Timmons who previously appeared in the preliminary conceptual short film that made this movie possible. It’s Timmons’s portrayal of Aimee, exuding the kind of outward optimism and strength in her innocence that serves as the emotional core that keeps you hoping that the worst won’t happen. Not to be overlooked in the course of all this is Whittaker’s steadfast and keen direction of Timmons and the raft of young co-stars who play captives in America’s trafficking underbelly, with a script that doesn’t shy from the absolute horrors of the criminal network, and the brilliant performances of the actors on hand.
Co-star Pierce brings a little bit of levity to the role of Dan opposite that of Jess. There’s a comedy scene involving a taser that throws things just a little bit off keel, but not too far to stray from the film’s more prominent tone. The script also makes ample use of the film’s two key antagonists, Julien Cesario, and Laur Allen whose own character gets a small stretch of depth for a brief moment without negating her role in preceding events.
The road to Aimee wasn’t easy for Whittaker and his team, from inception right down to post-production, with casting rejections, an air of disapproval from hopeful backers, and a pandemic that all but forced Whittaker to go the extra mile with all the resources he could muster to get the film finished. It certainly helps that he’s been in the industry as long as he has, and gained the kind of knowledge he continues to accrue as a film multi-hyphenate, and it especially serves audiences well that his latest effort comes from a place of deep inspiration and essential awareness.
Through nimble writing, a shrewd and flexible approach to direction, and proven adaptability in multiple areas of his craft, Whittaker’s Aimee quickly subdues any notion that he isn’t ready to be taken seriously as a burgeoning filmmaker with stories to tell of his own. Clearly, he is.
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