Anna DeRusso stars as Heather.
In the graveyard, her polished appearance in funeral black contrasts starkly with the raw emotion etched on her face. As she wraps a comforting arm around Yasmin, it’s clear that Heather’s outer calm masks an inner storm. Oftentimes Heather’s assertiveness coming across as callousness, especially in moments of heightened tension.
When Heather speaks, her tone carries an edge of cynicism and defiance, especially evident as she mocks the sanitized version of Chloe presented at the funeral. Her impersonation of Chloe’s parents reveals a bitterness towards their ignorance of the real Chloe, hinting at a deeper bond and understanding she shared with their departed friend. Despite her harsh exterior, Heather’s grief is palpable. Her rolling eyes and sarcastic comments serve as a defense mechanism, a way to shield herself from the overwhelming sadness of losing a close friend.
As the group stands united in their grief, Heather’s voice is the loudest, her cry of “FUCK YOU!” directed at Death itself resonating with raw anger and helplessness. This moment of shared rebellion against the inevitable is a testament to her fierce loyalty to Chloe and her friends. Heather’s determination to channel her pain into action is clear when she insists on holding a more personal and meaningful farewell for Chloe at the kitchen table later that night.
In the familiar, chaotic setting of the kitchen, surrounded by the remnants of their shared past, Heather’s complexity comes to the fore. She reminisces about Chloe with a mixture of fondness and sadness, highlighting Chloe’s cautiousness and comparing it with her own reckless nature. Heather’s inability to sit still and her eagerness to engage in their unconventional memorial with a bong and menthol cigarettes underscore her struggle to process grief in a healthy way. The bag of cocaine she produces later is a stark reminder of her coping mechanisms, which are deeply entwined with the lifestyle that contributed to Chloe’s death.
Heather’s interactions with Chelsea further reveal her volatile emotional state. Her anger at being blamed for Chloe’s death—an accusation she vehemently denies—shows a deep-seated guilt she tries to mask with defiance and substance abuse. When confronted with Chelsea’s harsh words, Heather’s response is a mix of defensive bravado and genuine hurt, her sharp retorts failing to conceal the pain of being perceived as responsible for their friend’s demise.
Her departure from the house in a fit of anger, punctuated by her retreat into the numbing escape of cocaine and alcohol, is a manifestation of her inner conflict. Heather’s outward defiance and inner guilt collide in these moments of solitude, her bravado slipping away to reveal a young woman deeply affected by the loss and by the weight of her perceived responsibility.
As she stumbles down the dark path, her encounter with the Grim Reaper’s voice calling her name blurs the line between reality and her drug-induced state. Her initial bravado—thinking it’s Chelsea playing a trick on her—quickly gives way to a fear she can’t shake off. This moment captures Heather’s fragile state, teetering on the edge of denial and acknowledgment of the supernatural forces at play.
DeRusso expertly brings Heather to life by showing her beauty and her bitterness, her leadership and her recklessness, her loyalty and her guilt. She is a young woman grappling with the consequences of her actions and the depths of her grief, all while trying to maintain a semblance of control over her spiraling life. Heather’s journey through the narrative is one of intense emotional highs and lows, marked by her struggle to reconcile her role in Chloe’s death and her determination to face the supernatural darkness that now surrounds her and her friends.
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