• Indie Short Mag TV
Indie Shorts Mag
  • Home
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Film Festival News
    • Short Film News
  • Reviews
    • Short Film
    • Documentary
    • Web Series
  • Hall of Fame
  • Short Film Festival – 2025Accepting Films
  • Tutorials
    • Pre-Production
    • Post-Production
  • Submit Short Film
    • Submit Short Film for Review
    • Submit Web Series for Review
    • Interview Submission Form
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 – 2025Accepting Films
  • Tutorials
    • Pre-Production
    • Post-Production
  • Submit Short Film
    • Submit Short Film for Review
    • Submit Web Series for Review
    • Interview Submission Form
No Result
View All Result
Indie Shorts Mag
No Result
View All Result

The Foal: A Hangover Horror Like None Other

Indie Shorts Mag Team by Indie Shorts Mag Team
30 Apr 2021
in Reviews
0
The Foul - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

It’s hard to peg writer-director Nikhail Asnani’s The Foal into a genre. It has convincing elements of horror, fantasy, why even a thriller. A slow narrative that takes its time to build, offering enough drama to make its audience invest in it, the short at 10:30-minute might seem peculiar for its subgenre, especially because neither the colour palette nor the cinematography offers the usual, standard choices exercised, making The Foal unique in its take.

A terrible hangover robs Lila (Madison Gallus) of a happy morning. Quite unsurprising, one might presume. After all, this is how parties end, right? But, the slow-burning ritual of a party that has rendered its attendees at best, half-conscious is the least of our concerns, when one of them is clearly dealing with something more sinister. Tristan Chilvers whose composition gives cues to the mood of the film, slowly begins to build up. And, we brace ourselves for the ensuing events. The party couldn’t have been that uncomplicated, for not only has Lila woken up disoriented but with a clearly bruised neck.

The Foul - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

What makes The Foal unusual as mentioned earlier is the lack of dramatisation to its narration. Despite Lila’s injured neck, we only passively worry for her, and the reasons for it lie in Asnani’s restrained direction that does wonders to its narration. Neither the camera nor the colour palette signifies anything out of the ordinary. However, the music and the writing establishes the story’s distinctiveness. Take, for instance, the shot that focuses on the props used in Lila’s bedroom. No slow motion, no dramatic angles as the figurines come to focus. Even as we are introduced to her husband, David (Noah Fletcher), the looming tension between them is highlighted only through very mundane, regular actions. The tiresome words exchanged, the bitterness, and the cold state of their relationship is predictable, for David is made to be the uncaring partner of the two. But it is not overemphasized as is the case with most films of a similar kind.

As David insists on Lila joining him on his debut book’s launch, an unwilling Lila is forced to confront the vestiges from last night. How could she possibly bear even the slightest sound with this disastrous hangover? Can’t David be a little more understanding? For those who might have a word or two on the characters, the writing does seem a bit choppy as if solely intent on making either of the characters bland, or at worst, cruel to make the other’s trajectory justifiable. But, keeping that aside, Gallus and particularly Fletcher make their characters understandable. David, although insufferable, doesn’t make it hard to believe in his motives. He is the trope, and quite unfortunately, the reality too. 

The Foul - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Yaping Zhen whose brilliant editing maintains a steady pace for the film ensures that there is no room for continuity errors. This helps keep the audience passively engaged while subtly wondering at the arc of the characters and the consequences of their actions. Rachel Bickert whose skilled handling of the camera belies the abject horror of the film, certainly manages to create a tense environment, effectively warning the audience of the impending doom.

Asnani clearly has a flair for storytelling. Recipient of the Bronze Award at the 2020 Queen Palm International Film Festival, his craft needs no further validation. But for those unfamiliar with his work, The Foal should alone be a testament to a fertile mind’s creative genius. 

The Foal Awards

  • Horror Hotel, Ohio – Best Student Short(Nominee)
  • Oregon Scream Week – Best Actress(Nominee)
  • Queen Palm International Film Festival – Best Short Film – Horror(Winner)
The Foal: A Hangover Horror Like None Other
  • Direction
  • Cinematography
  • Screenplay
  • Editing
  • Music
4
Tags: DramaDrama Short Film ReviewPrivateReviewShort Film ReviewsThrillerThriller Short Film Review
Previous Post

Something Round: The Surreal Quality Of Grief

Next Post

Romance Deadline: Instilling Faith In Womanhood, Whilst Subtly Questioning Conservatism

Indie Shorts Mag Team

Indie Shorts Mag Team

Related Posts

The Last Fool - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag
Reviews

The Last Fool: Crime Drama of an Extremist High on Irony, and a Priest Who Had to Foot the Bill

7th October 2024
Viaticum - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag
Reviews

Viaticum: A Comedy on the Things We Take (Down) With Us on the Way Out

5th October 2024
Next Post
Romance Deadline - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Romance Deadline: Instilling Faith In Womanhood, Whilst Subtly Questioning Conservatism

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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


Sponsored

Advertise Here

Featured Post

Announcing Short Of The Year Awards 2023

Announcing Short Of The Year Awards 2023

Latest Podcast

  • Recent Reviews

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: The Last Fool: Super philosophies of the new and manifold worse Will Huntings.

Read our review and watch the short film. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: Viaticum: God probably understands, he’s an understanding sort.

Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: A Good Day Will Come: Horrors are nurtured with silence.

Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmTrailer: Our Home Here: Paying The Cost Of Having A Dream. 

Read our review & watch the short, link in bio. 

#ShortFilm #ShortFilmReview #SupportindieFilm #Trailer #FilmTrailer  #shortfilms
  • #ShortFilmReview: Enough for you: Love and fear amidst the march of time.

Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmTrailer: Reparations: On Empathy And The Legitimacy Of Being. 

Read our review & watch the short, link in bio.

#ShortFilm #ShortFilmReview #SupportindieFilm #Trailer #FilmTrailer #ShortFilms
  • #ShortFilmTrailer: How I’ve Met God: A Coming Into Form. 

Read our review & watch the short, link in bio. 

#ShortFilm #ShortFilmReview #SupportindieFilm #Trailer #FilmTrailer #ShortFilms
  • #ShortFilmReview: Lemon: Nobody is getting away.

Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: Kotsuage: Grains of rice and drops of blood change little children forever.

Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Article
  • Write for Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

© 2015-2024 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 – 2025
  • Tutorials
    • Pre-Production
    • Post-Production
  • Submit Short Film
    • Submit Short Film for Review
    • Submit Web Series for Review
    • Interview Submission Form

© 2015-2024 Indie Shorts Mag.