We don't often get to see a short film that is directed, written, and played by the same person and that ends up being such a piece of cinematography,  capturing the essence of drama, thriller, and suspense seamlessly.

 

The film opens with a striking scene at an empty bar, where a CIA clinical and forensic psychologist Dr John Flemington was just planning a trip to Mexico while enjoying a drink at the bar, while focusing on its inner turmoil. The location is stunning, the light is low and has a warm yellow tone, just perfect for contouring this unexpected night atmosphere. All of a sudden he is approached by a mysterious woman that will change his plans and more or less will let him without any other choice than to follow her, being coerced into joining a clandestine mission.

 

As the discussion continues and the layers of deception unfold, Flemington finds himself drawn deeper into a web of intrigue. The action is so smooth and almost natural in some way, that it’s almost imperceptible and the audience feels like they go with the flow, not feeling how the time passes by until the very last frames. Whether we're speaking of the technical structure or the script, the structure is really clean and easy to get along with. It's a clean and correct film from all points of view and it ticks a lot of boxes, especially for film festival audiences.

 

Moreover, the camera movement was on point and it played a very important role in this film, its main strength being the ability to immerse audiences in a world where nothing is as it seems. We couldn't get the same feeling by just using static frames or long shots unbothered by editing cuts, so we must say that the editing also played an important part in making this film feel flawless and making almost invisible cuts. The dialogue feels so effortless and nothing takes us by surprise. Everything is so symmetrical and looks so good, this crew can easily move on to bigger projects like music videos, feature films, or even TV Series.

 

Speaking of the light, every inch of it was beautifully placed and it worked perfectly for contouring each character and underlying the atmosphere of each moment. Transitioning from the yellow light to a green one and ending everything in the dark, highlights the fact that secrets lurk in the shadows and choices carry weighty consequences.

 

We don't often get to say this, but the sound design added the last spark for this marvelous project, masterfully creating an atmosphere of palpable tension, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats as they navigate the labyrinthine twists and turns of our hero's night. Moreover, besides the music there's always a good idea when wanting to create some tension, we appreciated that the editor and sound designer played well with the shaking sound from making the drinks and it was a really smart decision.

 

This episode of compelling exploration of the human psyche and the moral dilemmas couldn't be that successful without such an amazing casting. The actors were chosen so well and their looks had a huge impact on their characters.

 

With its compelling narrative and atmospheric cinematography, this film is sure to captivate audiences and leave them pondering about the turmoil of a man caught between duty and desire and empathizing with him. In the end, we were glad that we got to see such a well made short film and we encourage the director as well as his crew to keep going and we wish them to get to turn this short film into a feature or even a series, because we would surely watch it!

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Ligia Prodan | Film Review Specialist
FILM IN FOCUS| INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

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