• Home
  • About Us
  • Submit Article
  • Contact Us
Indie Shorts Mag
  • Home
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Film Festival News
    • Short Film News
  • Reviews
    • Short Film
    • Documentary
    • Web Series
  • Hall of Fame
  • Short Film Festival – 2023Submissions Open
  • Tutorials
    • Pre-Production
    • Post-Production
  • Short Film TVLive
  • Submit Short Film
    • Submit Short Film for Review
    • Submit Web Series for Review
No Result
View All Result
Indie Shorts Mag
  • Home
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Film Festival News
    • Short Film News
  • Reviews
    • Short Film
    • Documentary
    • Web Series
  • Hall of Fame
  • Short Film Festival – 2023Submissions Open
  • Tutorials
    • Pre-Production
    • Post-Production
  • Short Film TVLive
  • Submit Short Film
    • Submit Short Film for Review
    • Submit Web Series for Review
No Result
View All Result
Indie Shorts Mag
No Result
View All Result

A Vital Sign: Confused Examination Of Religious Suicide

Sristi Gayen by Sristi Gayen
08 May 2022
in Reviews
0
A Vital Sign - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Paul Robinson’s A Vital Sign tackles a controversial subject, that of a religious suicide pact among a group of five. Spoiler: they go through with it. Robinson’s treatment uses a conventional narrative that succeeds in maintaining tension but what remains ambiguous is the stance of the film itself. 

The film observes these characters from the 34th hour before their death, visiting them a couple of times more, till their final hour. In these 34 hours, one has given up on the pact and left with her partner, leaving behind a heartbroken friend. This goes on to spark the conflict that creates the climax. 

A Vital Sign - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Pam (Petra Denison), who left, and Emma (Sashia R. Dumont, also the screenwriter) was left behind form the compelling emotional core of a film that already features characters that are unwaveringly in harmony with each other. This is how Robinson frames the characters: as a group of people who have peacefully made their decision to leave behind this life for the next plane. There’s nothing to hint at something darker than what’s on the surface: card playing, lollipop loving people who follow through on their pact without any regret. Except for Emma, who one can assume would have been just as happy if Pam had not left. The characters are a likeable lot: besides Pam and Emma, there is the charming Manny (Ryan Katzer) and playful Roselyn (Kat Lindsay), and Neil (Kieron J. Anthony), a quiet, thoughtful man, Emma’s partner. 

Emma displays emotional vulnerability early into the film, which perhaps explains that her partner is the nurturer sort and her best friend is a dominant personality. When they eventually separate, it is a gut-wrenching scene and credit must be given to the two actresses for their sincere performances in the scene. 

A Vital Sign - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

In their final hour, the now group of four do what they came to do, in a tent in the woods. It is a puzzling scene, as is the film as a whole that does not always lend itself to one coherent tone. Sometimes the background score implies tension, sometimes drama, but rarely is there criticism. Even Pam’s expression of regret is confusing, if at the least it does express doubt. 

Watch A Vital Sign Short Film

A Vital Sign: Confused Examination Of Religious Suicide
  • Direction
  • Cinematography
  • Screenplay
  • Editing
  • Music
3.7
Tags: PrivateReviewShort Film Reviews
Previous Post

Small Talk: Big Subjects Disguised Under Uneasy Laughs

Next Post

1NS: How To Make The Most Of A Lockdown

Sristi Gayen

Sristi Gayen

Related Posts

503 - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag
Reviews

503: A Horror That You Might Wish Upon Some

22nd March 2023
Heather's Voice - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag
Reviews

Heather’s Voice: A Compelling Narrative Of A Futuristic Reality

20th March 2023
Next Post
1NS - ONE NIGHT STAND - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

1NS: How To Make The Most Of A Lockdown

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sponsored

Advertise Here

Featured Post

Announcing Indie Shorts Mag Short Film Festival(ISMSFF) 2022

Announcing Indie Shorts Mag Short Film Festival(ISMSFF) 2022

  • Recent Reviews
Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Youtube Vimeo

About Indie Shorts Mag

Indie Shorts Mag is a publishing agency that works within the ‘short film circuit’. We review short films, documentaries, music videos and web series, amongst others. We stand out amongst the short film review sites for being multi-diverse & global in our platform and reach.
Our team works tirelessly to help promote, publicize and market your short films that deserve the shout-out! Besides reviews, we host film festival news as it’s a known fact that the film festival buzz is unmissable and we ensure you aren’t left behind!
We aspire to form a niche for ourselves as the ‘short film magazine’ that remains the hub for filmmakers & their audience.

Popular Topics

  • Announcements
  • Articles
  • Crowdfunding
  • Editorial
  • Film Festival News
  • Film Festivals
  • India Edition
  • Interviews
  • Marketing
  • Marketing
  • News
  • Online Premiere
  • Post-Production
  • Pre-Production
  • Reviews
  • Short Film
  • Short Film Competition
  • Short Film News
  • Tutorials
  • Web Series

Indie Shorts Mag on Instagram

Follow Us On Instagram

  • #ShortFilmReview: Order 27: Who’s going to tell Moscow? Read our review and watch the short film. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: Love You Tyler: They were roommates. Read our review and watch the short film. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: Sealed boxes meet open books. Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: Parasites survive on an illusion of importance. Read our review and watch the short film. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: What’s charm got to do with it? Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: Vacation: If you don’t have the tropics, store-bought is fine. Read our review and watch the short film. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: La Leyenda del Sombrerón: The hunter of souls stands still, sure of prey. Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: Chekhov
  • #ShortFilmReview: Silver Screen Suicide: Reel absorbs the real. Or is it the other way around? Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm

© 2015-2023 Indie Shorts Mag.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Film Festival News
    • Short Film News
  • Reviews
    • Short Film
    • Documentary
    • Web Series
  • Hall of Fame
  • Short Film Festival – 2023
  • Tutorials
    • Pre-Production
    • Post-Production
  • Short Film TV
  • Submit Short Film
    • Submit Short Film for Review
    • Submit Web Series for Review

© 2015-2023 Indie Shorts Mag.