'Bitter Desire' Review: A Slow-Burn Thriller with a Venomous Pulse
- Romey Norton
- 13 minutes ago
- 2 min read
By Romey Norton - November 24, 2025
Australian filmmaker Nathan Hill has long been a genre-hopping provocateur, but with Bitter Desire, he sharpens his focus into something leaner, darker, and more psychologically charged. This tightly coiled thriller unfolds like a chamber piece, minimalist in setting, emotionally maximalist in execution, and Hill’s control behind the camera is unmistakable.
The premise is elegantly simple: a wounded policeman, recovering at home after a brutal confrontation, is assigned a home-care nurse. What he doesn’t know is that she’s the girlfriend of the violent criminal he just put behind bars for life. From this hook, Hill spins a tale steeped in betrayal, obsession, and the thin line between justice and vengeance.
It’s the kind of logline that could easily slip into melodrama, but Hill resists cheap thrills. Instead, he builds tension through character psychology and slow-burn intimacy. As the bond between patient and caretaker deepens, every gesture becomes a question mark. Is she warming to him? Manipulating him? Or simply biding her time?
The film’s standout performance comes from Diana Benjamin, who brings a magnetic duality to the role. She embodies both compassion and calculation, often in the same breath. In this relationship we see how men can be manipulated, used and abused. Hill does a nice job as a man in pain, taking a slower pace than his usual characters. But there's still time for some cheeky consensual sex scenes.
Visually, Bitter Desire is a high standard for an indie film. A muted colour palette and sparse score further contribute to the sense of unease, allowing silence to become its own sinister presence. But it does build a more dramatic and almost x-rated ending. Girl fight anyone? The final seconds/last lines are funny - which I wasn't expecting. And it worked.
The film does have its flaws; there are a few familiar beats of the revenge-thriller genre. Viewers who consume a lot of noir or psychological suspense may predict some of the narrative turns before they land. The pace can be slow, and so viewers might disengage. I’d also wanted the lead's injury to be more than just a hurt foot. Who really has home help for a foot, unless you’re over the age of 80? So some things might not be believable - but just run with it.
Bitter Desire isn’t trying to reinvent the thriller. This isn’t a movie that chases shock value; it’s a nice indie that wants to entertain its audience. With a runtime of an hour and ten, this is a film you can sit back and relax to, have on in the background when friends are round, or when you’re doing chores. It's a slow, but fun ride.
You can watch 'Bitter Desire' on Amazon Prime Video.
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