Josie Walker and Cal MacAninch in a scene from A Scent.
HOLLYWOOD, CA (LA ELEMENTS) 8/17/2026 – A Scent by director and co-writer Johnny Russell, opens in a hospital where Gavin (Cal MacAninch) is completing surgical skin prep on the patient he is about to operate on. By his side is a nurse, his wife Nancy (Josie Walker), who smells an odor so strange, she pulls off her mask to better identify it. After a sharp look from her husband, she puts it back on. Scalpel in hand, Gavin is about to proceed when his hand starts trembling. He then asks Tahira (Laura Rollins) his assistant attending surgeon, to take over.
Outside the operating room, it becomes obvious that this isn’t the first time that Nancy inexplicably smelled something strange and odorous. Gavin himself can’t smell the scent, so he tries to convince Nancy that it is all in her head. However, Nancy soon discovers that the scent appears only when she is near someone who has Parkinson’s. Worst of all, the smell is pervasive even when she is at home with her husband.
Once the inevitable is revealed, Gavin and Nancy face a crash course in learning to navigate the impending reality of a life-changing illness.
Russel’s direction beautifully paces this short film without sacrificing a multi-layered story in the process. Yes, there is the almost supernatural ability that exists within Nancy’s sense of smell-an ability so unbelievable that, if not for Joy Milne, the real-life inspiration for the character of Nancy, it would seem to be fantasy. There is also the emotional arc encompassing so many of the stages of grief that MacAnich’s Gavin eloquently reveals when his life has been upended: the denial, the anger, the fear and the acceptance.
Then there is the moment of sheer grace that happens toward the end of the film. A moment that is especially illuminating: this is not simply a movie about a disease, but a love story. Within the journey of Gavin and Nancy, we feel her uncompromising strength. Walker’s Nancy is a woman who loves her husband enough to face his reality by his side-right where she’s been for most of her life.
This is a deeply intimate film and the choices with the cinematography-lingering close-up shots and minimalist lighting by cinematographer Max Bruner-never let you forget that.
With A Scent, Russell has crafted a film that skillfully balances the shattering impact of a life-changing illness, with moments of tenderness that only two people who have spent the better part of their lives in love with each other could bring.
Cast: Josie Walker, Cal MacAninch, Laura Rollins, Rob Jarvis, Jane-Paul-Gets
Director: Johnny Russell
Screenwriter: Johnny Russell, Archie Thomson
Producers: Francesco Loy Bell, Harry Moore, Laura Rollins, Laurie Borg, Harvey Moore, Giorgio Morelli, Roberto Morelli, Jonathan Rothermere, James Yeoburn
Cinematographer: Max Brunner
Composer: Adiescar Chase
Editor’s Note: A Scent is supported by Parkinson’s UK, developed in collaboration with Virtual Motion Dance, and will screen on Thursday, August 20 at the HollyShorts Film Festival.
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