A series of short films I was sent for review while in quarantine. All efforts were originally reviewed for Asian Movie Pulse unless otherwise noted (ie; no hyperlink to the original review)
We All Need Someone to Stay (2020) by Feisal Azizuddin
Amidst a city's struggle to contain a pandemic, a young man is suddenly thrust upon the chaos of a stark grim reality.
This was an enjoyable effort. One of the best aspects here is the slow-building mystery about what's going on, taking a casual conversation between friends and turning it into the growing realization that something is off. Tying into the current state of the world in a timely and topical matter is a great touch as it allows the added benefit of a more realistic nature to come about here with the two going through their apps or news sources reporting on the situation.
That comes to pass nicely in the second half where it finally pass off in a stellar setup. As the hand-held device makes the off-screen noises and snarling he hears far more dark and suspenseful, the fact that it's not nearly in focus and based on those sounds causes plenty of suspenseful action that picks up the intensity rather well. As the heartbreaking finale ends this rather abruptly and suddenly, this is a fun, well-made short overall.
We Need to Know (2018) by Iskander Azizuddin
A man finds himself under interrogation for the death of his wife. As he attempts to recollect the events that transpired on that fateful night, it becomes clear that the real perpetrator is in the same room as him.
There was quite a lot to like in this short. The simplistic approach and tense atmosphere created by the setup of an interrogation gives this one a wholly immersive beginning. That goes alongside the outbursts and psychological torment of Manish trying to recall the events in detail. The rapid-fire editing style of going back-and-forth between Manish, the psychiatrist and the other suspect in the room adds a lot of suspense by enhancing the amount of paranoia already created by the interrogation situation.
That leads into the one main detrimental feature of the short. Once it gives away the twist that the psychiatrist is letting the suspect go on unchecked and unreprimendad for his comments, the film gives away the ending rather easily which really undoes a lot of the work Azizuddin built up before. The antagonizing nature of what he’s saying automatically shoehorns in the idea of where the short will end up before that reveal drops. Being an overdone trope anyway, there’s no shock or surprise at all. Overall, this is still an enjoyable, well-made effort.
Navigator (2020) by Jagdish Mishra
Rohit is in a hurry to get to his village of Lalgarh to sell the ancestral house where if he doesn’t reach on time the deal will get canceled. In the pitch-black night, he has to go through a scary jungle and hill roads all alone. But some unknown force is obstructing his progress. Can Rohit reach on time to close the deal? Or will the road lead him to a dead-end?
This was a pretty enjoyable and tense thriller. The central story of his race against time to get back to his house for an urgent appointment gives this some tension, as the clock that’s introduced to get there is clicking down. All the phone calls he takes or roadside distractions that impede the journey keep adding to the tense feeling that goes alongside the unnatural conversation from the navigation unit. This all sets up the great finale which makes all the build-up worthwhile with a great twist and helps to make it overcome the boredom of the rest of the short. A vast majority of the running time is simply him sitting in the car talking to the phone. These scenes are either his boss calling about work, talking with his wife about their sick son or listening to the GPS instructions. While there’s tension built up for the finale, it’s not that exciting.
Otherwise, the short has some nice points about it. The visual style of the short showing him setting in the car-seat with the traveling countryside whizzing by outside aids this one nicely with the speed of his journey. In addition, the implication of him traveling over great distances brings the suspense into the mission to arrive as he gets closer against the clock set for his mission. The visions of the visitors along the side of the road along his journey offer some fine jump-scenes and startling moments before getting to the horror payoff that’s incredibly chilling. Even among the twisting trees of the jungle that begin to cast ominous shadows along the way, complete the illusion and serve this short nicely.
Void (2020) by Alistair Quak
A young girl, seeking solace from her troubled home, stays at an empty patio deck. Things take a turn for the worse when she is met with insidious figures lurking in the night.
This is a pretty chilling and enjoyable short. With the early glimpses of the girls’ home-life depicted here, from the immediate realization of the parents arguing forcing her off to the fabled location nearby, writer/director Quak gets the audience into the story efficiently. The eeriness of this situation, taking place late at night with no one around and the mysterious machinery whirring in the background, is wonderfully captured and sets up a perfect compliment to the engaging setup.
As well, the gradual setup of the figures watching her, standing motionless at far distances but gradually getting closer the longer she’s there, adds to the atmosphere rather well. That turns into the best part, with the rest of the short turning into a frightening series of chases featuring a series of emotionless, creepy figures silently running around the complex after her. The kinetic action and twists throughout the building are fun to watch and enhance the atmosphere even more.
However, the finale of this one is a big disappointment. After escaping back to her parents, the girl decides to go back to where she encountered the creatures for the lamest reason. Trying to find the cat she was feeding with nothing to mention about the strange people coming after her with no explanation of anything happening, from why the creatures never attacked the girl to what they were supposed to be. We never learn about their intentions as the finale comes off with tons of ambiguity overall, leading to the minor issues that hold this one down.
Ghost (2020) by SS Jishnu Dev
A young documentary maker decides to check whether a house is haunted or not with his trusty assistant.
On the whole, this one is a pretty decent quarantine-shot effort. From the loaded backstory that tells of the local myth about the location's haunted history as well as the on-camera introduction of the hosts about their research into the house, there's a nice creepy vibe establish that's also a big part of their run-through where the decrepit state of the house helps to create a genuinely dark atmosphere. The finale gets a bit more exciting where it pays off it's premise in fine fashion with some fine creepy moments aided by the brevity of the encounter with the shortness of the running time making for a fun experience.
However, one of the most striking and utterly infuriating practices in the short is the decision to put the subtitles at the bottom of the screen right next to the camera displays. They disappear into the measurements and layout incredibly frequently and it's oftentimes impossible to make out what was said with everything becoming a jumbled mess. Likewise, some of the extra touches put on the screen to add some effect to the image, ranging from camera-static to blurring and even haloing objects through the camera in an attempt to create chills aren't always successful. This factor does undermine some of the horror attempts but isn't detrimental all that much.
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