• 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

The Stranger: Family Drama, With The Horror Of Impostors

Indie Shorts Mag Team by Indie Shorts Mag Team
23 Mar 2021
in Reviews
0
The Stranger - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Imagine, you have been away from home for a while. You come back to the place, knowing everything will be as it always was, waiting for you in welcome. But when the door finally swings open to show you the familiar hallway, an unfamiliar face stands in the way, keeping your safe space from you. It lasts for only a few seconds, but Katherine Oostman’s 13-minute short, The Stranger, efficiently sets the stage for the tension to come through these opening shots. 

Melissa Saint-Amand (of Ozark fame) plays Blake, returning after an unpleasant departure, to what she thought was only family, her mother. Instead, at the door is a woman who in no way resembles Blake or her mother, Trudy (Ashley LeConte Campbell), both of whom are tall, dark-haired women. Yet, there is a blonde-haired, creepy doll-like Lily (Autumn Dial), apparently the sister who has always been there. Blake does not believe it, and as the audience, neither are we convinced. 

The Stranger - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

The ensuing scenes begin to take apart these same assumptions that the audience makes initially, leaving us questioning everything, sure of nothing. Layne Inselman’s cinematography and David Urbinati’s original score lay the groundwork brilliantly. Inselman’s framing speaks volumes of Blake’s internal turmoil—and more often than not, we side with her. The staging and blocking pits Blake against Lily, with Trudy hanging in the balance. We are perfectly aware that it is not either Trudy’s safety or Blake’s singular claims on her affection that are at stake here; it is both. Add to this the tense music, the stakes rise up swiftly and dangerously. The effect is strongly emotive. 

The uncertainty is only aggravated by the supporting cast. A friend exclaims that Blake is an only child, while the Sheriff calmly talks about Lily as Blake’s sister. With both characters having equal credibility, there is little by which the audience can come to a conclusion. The climax continues on the same thread of tense instability as the rest of the film, with Blake just as believable as not. Lily remains just as frightening. 

The Stranger - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Concluding on a gutting open ending, Oostman leaves the interpretation to her audience. There is much to unpack, sift through and distil. But the answer to the plot’s overarching question offers two options only, and neither one offers anything resembling comfort. Thrilling and hard-hitting, The Stranger manages to achieve what most open-endings do; pique its audience’s interests.

The Stranger: Family Drama, With The Horror Of Impostors Click To Tweet

Watch The Stranger Short Film

The Stranger: Family Drama, With The Horror Of Impostors
  • Direction
  • Cinematography
  • Screenplay
  • Editing
  • Music
3.7
Tags: HorrorHorror Short Film ReviewReviewShort Film ReviewsThrillerThriller Short Film Review
Previous Post

RedFlag: Dramatic Short On Domestic Abuse

Next Post

Piece Of Me: An Accurate, Heartfelt Portrayal Of Alzheimer’s 

Indie Shorts Mag Team

Indie Shorts Mag Team

Related Posts

The (Other) 700 Club - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag
Reviews

The (Other) 700 Club: A Documentary That Lets You Peek Into A Sidelined Community

20th March 2023
Out Of Water - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag
Reviews

Out Of Water: A Fantastical Tale Of Myths, Fables & Friendship

19th March 2023
Next Post
Piece of Me - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Piece Of Me: An Accurate, Heartfelt Portrayal Of Alzheimer's 

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.