After their addict mother suffers a fatal overdose, two sisters fear that the foster system will separate them so they decide to hide her body. The local sheriff and all-around nice guy (or is he?) begins to wonder where mom is and mom’s odious drug dealer also becomes suspicious. The sibs must decide how far they are willing to go to keep their secret.
Daniel Kay’s second feature, What We Hide, is a taut, deeply affecting thriller, often mesmerizing, with a Winter’s Bone-like breakout performance from Mckenna Grace.
The filmmaker refreshingly deviates from the typical filmic focus, which is normally on the addict and, instead, shines a light on the “opioid orphans,” an ever escalating number of children who have lost parents to addiction.
The success of a film like What We Hide (originally titled, Spider & Jessie) hinges on casting the right actors for the two lead parts. Luckily. Kay has a keen eye for talent. The Emmy-nominated McKenna Grace (for The Handmaid’s Tale), who played the Young Tonya in I, Tonya, delivers an outstanding turn as the steadfast and determined older sister, Spider. And Jojo Regina excels as her younger sib, Jessie.
Both characters have been through hell together and despite the absence of flashback scenes, Grace and Regina express everything we need to know about the hellish life they’ve lived with an addict for a parent. And how they’ve managed to endure and survive.
Dacre Montgomery and Jesse Williams appear in key supporting roles. Montgomery, currently impressing in another indie, Samuel Van Grinsven Went Up the Hill, opposite Vicky Krieps, takes nasty and sinister to new levels here.
What We Hide is a tad predictable at times and ends a bit too abruptly, but is still a formidable film that showcases the work of a couple of incredibly talented actors who are poised to become the stars of tomorrow.
What We Hide opens in select theaters on August 22, 2025, and will be available on VOD & Digital on August 29, 2025.
