Millie Lies Low

Millie, an architecture student from Wellington, New Zealand, has landed a competitive internship with a prestigious firm in New York. After telling everyone she knows about the opportunity, she suddenly suffers a panic attack as her plane is about to take off, and misses her flight. In a desperate pivot, Millie decides to save face by hiding in plain sight around Wellington, suitcase in tow, using Instagram and the power of denial to depict a trip to New York City that never happened. Trapped in a spiral of hilariously uncomfortable self-inflected scenarios, Millie will have to dig deep to restore her mental health and her dignity. Praised for capturing "the chaotic self-destruction of Fleabag and the anxious missteps of Eighth Grade," (FilmDaze), Millie Lies Low is a poignant cringe comedy for our time.

"Michelle Savill's congenial first feature takes its likeable protagonist deep into a cringing nightmare. [T]he film and its characters win our sympathies without reservation." ~ Jay Weissberg, The Verdict

"One bad decision leads to another in this well-acted and sharply filmed comedy." ~ Douglas Laman, The Spool

"Millie Lies Low sits somewhere between the chaotic self-destruction of Fleabag and the anxious missteps of Eighth Grade. It takes the popular tropes of messy women, social media, and an impending sense of existential anxiety, and lets it make our skin-crawl in new ways." ~ Veronica Phillips, Film Daze

"Millie Lies Low represents a fabulous start for two relatively unknown talents. Writer-director Michelle Savill makes her feature debut behind the camera, bringing to life an endearing story with an unapologetically awkward lead. In her first lead film role, Scotney shows that she’s capable of being funny and carrying a movie...." ~ Abe Friedtanzer, Shock Ya!

"Director Michelle Savill wraps up the arrested development, coming-of-age cringe comedy in a moment of joy that spells big things for the first-time feature filmmaker." ~ Amelia Merrill, Cinapse

"A shrewd and promising debut." ~ Phil Hoad, The Guardian

"Millie Lies Low is a work of real humanism, an Agnes Varda portrait of anxiety. I can't wait to see what Savill does next." ~ Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central

"Ana Scotney embodies the taut desperation at the heart of this film with an exhilarating performance as Millie, leaning into the cringe comedy that underpins the most excruciating moments of action." ~ Rachel Ashby, Flicks