Part romance, part sci-fi horror flick, Spring is something of an oddity in both the indie and film-festival worlds. Which is fine — variety and all of that — but what really strikes home is how simply good the movie is. It's well-made, well-acted and provides compelling emotional impact in addition to some seriously freaky visuals.

Evan (Lou Taylor Pucci) escapes a life that's quickly falling apart with an impulse trip to Italy, where he meets and becomes entranced by beautiful Louise (Nadia Hilker). As they begin a whirlwind romance against the picturesque coastal backdrop, it slowly becomes obvious that Louise is hiding a dark and potentially murderous secret.

Co-directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead — the latter originally from Tampa — deserve much credit for stretching a cliched premise to such unexpected and provocative extremes without it snapping on them. In less hands, Spring could've been laughable; here, it's both genuinely touching and seriously unsettling. This one is not to be missed.

Plays tonight at 9 p.m. at Channelside during the Gasparilla International Film Festival. Tickets are available here and at the door.