• 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 – 2022Earlybird Deadline
  • 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 – 2022Earlybird Deadline
  • 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

Squatter: The Reciprocated Grip Of Obsession

Indie Shorts Mag Team by Indie Shorts Mag Team
22 Jan 2022
in Reviews
0
Squatter - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Aidan Guynes’ written and directed Squatter is a sensory experience that revels in the suspense of its story. Propped up by its cinematography and score, the film all but does away with dialogues, distilling it down to just its protagonist.

Played by Yavor Vesselinov, the unnamed man, about as chatty as his dog, squats in a dilapidated house. He sleeps on a mattress on the ground. The ceiling often leaks. The plain, endless swathes of his life is best represented by his dog, who waits around listlessly for food, stimulation and attention. They mostly do not come.

Squatter - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

The man, however, does have his source of stimulation. It is not revealed for most of the film and as far as anyone can tell, whatever the man is keeping safe so preciously is not improving his life by much. If anything, the strain of keeping it hidden and visiting it nightly seems to be taking a toll on him. The first time he is seen visiting his treasure by the roadside, the camera is so far away and the frame is so dark, the man is barely visible. But eventually he emerges from the tiny chamber and returns to his life in the peeling, leaking house.

Shot on 16mm gives the film a lot of its visual power. The house looks worse for it, the highway appears to be stuck in time, the dog is sadder. The man is cruel towards his dog. By the second visit within the narrative, the dog leaves him. But the man does not seem to be affected by the loss or his sudden aloneness, concerned only with his treasure. This time around, the viewer is afforded a closer, clearer view of the chamber.

There is something in the way he clambers in and out of the hiding place that shows a graceless desperation, compounded by his solitary existence and his treatment of the last companion he had. There are no dialogues, notwithstanding the unintelligible words he sometimes speaks to no one in particular. As time goes by, an increasingly frenetic energy seems to take hold of him, while simultaneously leaching him of something vital.

MWnIGsE - Indie Shorts Mag
ADVERTISEMENT
Squatter - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

On the third visit, the viewer is finally allowed in to see his secret. As the events roil to a narratively complex, abstract climax, the film makes itself both felt and understood. The surreal element of it serves to create memorable images, while the actual plot leaves an emotional impression.

Without wishing to spoil the story, it can be said and understood that the film examines a decay of the self, a zapping of the lifeforce by that which one allows themselves to be consumed. Squatter is beautiful in its bleakness, affecting in its deliberate, ponderous pace. It takes the time to examine the space of the man’s life and his surroundings. The effect is staggering.

Watch Squatter Short Film Trailer

Squatter: The Reciprocated Grip Of Obsession
  • Direction
  • Cinematography
  • Screenplay
  • Editing
  • Music
4.5
Tags: PrivateReviewShort Film ReviewsThrillerThriller Short Film Review
Previous Post

My Gypsy Road: Journeys Of Historical Significance And The Joys Of Theatre

Next Post

Two-Faced: A Murder And A Series Of Twists

Indie Shorts Mag Team

Indie Shorts Mag Team

Related Posts

Gold - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Ma
Reviews

Gold: A Spot Of Shining Optimism

22nd May 2022
Bob - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag
Reviews

Bob: Toeing The Thin Line Between Reasonable Caution And Bias

21st May 2022
Next Post
Two-Faced - Web Series Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Two-Faced: A Murder And A Series Of Twists

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Featured Post

Announcing Indie Shorts Mag Short Film Festival(ISMSFF) 2022

Announcing Indie Shorts Mag Short Film Festival(ISMSFF) 2022

Sponsored

  • 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: Bob: Who’s coming to dinner? Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview
  • #ShortFilmTrailer: His Hands: Lines blur between eroticism and violence.

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

#ShortFilm #SupportIndieFilm #ShortFilmReview #ShortFilms
  • #ShortFilmReview: Last Lesson: It’s never too late to learn. Read our review and watch the short film. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmTrailer: Call The Shot: Those that hold the gun call the shots.

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

#ShortFilm #SupportIndieFilm #ShortFilmReview #shortfilms
  • #ShortFilmTrailer: A Vital Sign: A hazy view of faith. 

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

#ShortFilmReview #ShortFilms #SupportIndieFilm #ShortFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: Withdrawal: Withdrawal is a hungry monster. Read our review and watch the short film. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmTrailer: Your Dog Likes Me More Than You: One too many hang-ups on the path to success.

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

#ShortFilmReview #ShortFilm #SupportIndieFilm #ShortFilms
  • #ShortFilmTrailer: Nemesis: It
  • #ShortFilmTrailer: Foggy Days: Love in the time of social media is hazy, at best. 

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

#ShortFilms #ShortFilmReview #SupportIndieFilm #ShortFilm #IndieFilm

© 2015-2022 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 – 2022
  • Tutorials
    • Pre-Production
    • Post-Production
  • Short Film TV
  • Submit Short Film
    • Submit Short Film for Review
    • Submit Web Series for Review

© 2015-2022 Indie Shorts Mag.