‘Windward Spirits’ is a fictional short film that focuses on the story of Warlan and his crew as they escape the clutches of the King’s armies and the nomadic desert warriors who are out for their head.
The film has a very medieval look and genuinely feels like a period piece. There is a lot of attention to detail in the production and it shows in the final product. The set for the film has been carefully created and it is a work of art. At 18:46 minutes, the movie fits an engaging storyline in it. However, this film is a direct sequel to the first Wayward Spirits film. So if the film is to be properly understood, it’s important to watch the first film as well.
The story follows a group of people who are on the run from the king and trying to finish their mission against all odds that are stacked against their favour. There are some beautiful shots in the desert at night and a very philosophy heavy conversation as they are sitting around their campsite. The quiet is soon broken as the desert nomads, dressed as monsters armed with swords ambush and attack them. The real action begins here and must be seen to be believed.
The direction of the film by director Nathaniel Upshaw is excellent and captures a period of time hundreds of years ancient. You could almost call this film a period piece but it’s a work of fantasy fiction. The director has a great eye for detail on how to combine an interesting storyline with great characters that fit together in a genre as exciting as fantasy. It’s a feat of artistic achievement on the part of the director.
The cinematography (Christopher Pinto) is gorgeous and perfectly captures a bygone era of medieval history. It’s an era of kings and kingdoms, heroes and monsters. There are a few gorgeous shots in the film at spectacular locations that complement the look of the film very well. The actors also act well and they fill in their part, shouldering the story as a team.
The film is rather weak in its script. The movie is around nineteen minutes and tries to fit in a story of a full feature-length film in that duration. There are too many characters and as a direct result there’s no one protagonist and not one character has been developed well.
The editing (Nathaniel Upshaw) for the film is quite well done except for a fight scene which could have been choreographed better. The film takes us back to an older era, into another world where we can forget our current reality. The music in the short film is very good and creates a palpable sense of tension and foreboding. The film has top-notch production for a short film. Overall, it’s a good fantasy movie that lives up to expectations.
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