Short Film Review #50

Passenger from HMT Productions on Vimeo.
Aaaarrgghhh – proof positive as if it were ever needed that you shouldn’t ever talk to strangers on the tube. Ed Rigg’s Passenger follows a couple at the end of a long day as they catch the Victoria Line up to Walthamstow Central and make the fatal mistake of making eye contact with the guy sitting opposite after a mildly amusing episode. Sara Vickers and Mark Quartley do a great job at capturing the helpless awkwardness of the situation but Samuel Edward-Cook really excels as the ex-serviceman who won’t leave them alone, invading their headspace as well as their personal space as the encounter becomes more and more chilling. Great work. 

CHERRIES from Popcorn Storm on Vimeo.
Another pensive film here written by Fiona Kissane and directed by Tom Harper again looking at the impact of war, but this time on an inner-city schoolroom as a teacher despairs of a class of unruly boys. Initially they’re blithely ignorant of anything outside of their immediate world of posturing and postulating but when an almighty shock lands on their desks in the form of a letter, a rude awakening to the realities of the world is thrust in their face. It’s effectively done and credible too, even as appalling as it sounds. I don’t want to say too much more so you’d best just watch!

Insomniacs clip: Theo Watches Jade from Charles Chintzer Lai on Vimeo.
A brief clip of Charles Chintzer Lai’s Insomniacs which looks most intriguing, not least as it features Vanessa Kirby and Henry Lloyd-Hughes as a sleep-deprived pair who find solace in each other (at least I assume they do, the film is described as a romantic drama you see…) Could well be one to look out for on full release somewhere soon.

Shades of Beige Trailer from Aimee Powell on Vimeo.
A powerful film from Aimee Powell which effectively utilises a shattered time narrative to explore the intimately close relationship between a brother and sister from their idyllic childhood through to the present day when he is accused of indecently assaulting a five year old girl. Michelle Dockery and Edward Hogg play the pair as adults and are hauntingly compelling in some quietly harrowing and indeed shocking scenes, all beautifully shot in Luke Bryant’s cinematography. I love the way it doesn’t shy from the harsher truths of the situation and avoids the easy answers that would cheapen the story.

The Silent City - Short Film from Kenneth Goertz on Vimeo.
The broodingly atmospheric The Silent City is a really rather effective short film from Ruairí Robinson - a war story of three soldiers in a desperate situation, by maintaining its non-specificity it manages to achieve a compellingly tragic power that crosses time and space, this is just the agony of conflict no matter which side you’re on. Cillian Murphy, Don Wycherley and Garvan McGrath play the soldiers but it is the dramatic cinematography from Robbie Ryan and the swelling score that make it achingly beautiful. 

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