Ray Knowledge’s 10-minute short Service for The King is essentially a music video with a barebones plot thrown in. What keeps it going as a fiction narrative is its humour content. Focused on the day of a man’s trial on charges of service to the king, the film springs into music like a piece of… Continue reading SfTK (Service for the King): Comedy, Music and Politics In Part Fiction Part Music Video
Tag: Private
The Ogress: Mythicising A True Tale Of Horror
Based on the serial killer Amelia Dyer, nicknamed the Ogress of Reading, Jon Kent’s short The Ogress forays into the realm of the supernatural. Following a number of linked cases of missing children, the story is set in modern times where a detective is confronted with an oddity in the case: a missing woman. Two… Continue reading The Ogress: Mythicising A True Tale Of Horror
The Misanthrope: Warring Against Bereavement
Having now seen Andy Kastelic’s The Misanthrope, one wonders what else could describe grief as well as the destruction of flowers. The film, all of fifteen minutes, thrusts upon the viewer a heart-wrenching story of widespread, ceaseless loss. And just as it is gutting, it leaves the viewer with the grace of warmth. The protagonist… Continue reading The Misanthrope: Warring Against Bereavement
Blue Boy: A Boxer Returns To The Fray
An unmistakable neon-noir, Andy Kastelic’s Blue Boy is stylish and gritty. The 21-minute film sees its titular character, a retired boxer, confronted with ghosts of the past and a choice that could irrevocably change more than just his own life. Jack Forcinito plays Blue Boy, a legendary, gruff ex-boxer who now owns a diner in… Continue reading Blue Boy: A Boxer Returns To The Fray
St. Augustine: The Sorrow Of Living Forever
Andy Kastelic’s St. Augustine follows in his usual fashion of sumptuous visuals and stories treated with melancholic grandeur. This one fully immerses itself into those themes with its very subject: vampires. A story spanning decades, it follows two vampires through their fated meeting and the journey through solitary years, laced with horrors and loneliness. Kastelic… Continue reading St. Augustine: The Sorrow Of Living Forever
#Anniversary: On The Inevitable Blend Of Love, Grief And Technology
Ellis E. Fowler’s #Anniversary takes its story to explore two subjects both separately and as an intricately entwined entity. Technology is shown both as the all-pervasive, potentially dangerous thing that it has and continues to become, as well as its more profound applications in human relationships. Conversely, the other area of the film’s investigation are… Continue reading #Anniversary: On The Inevitable Blend Of Love, Grief And Technology
My Happy Place: Making Meaning And Diving Into Nostalgia
Devin Scott’s My Happy Place is the result of an anthropological endeavour. Made with actual found footage going back decades, the film showcases glimpses of the lives of real, unknown people. Stitched together with a fictional story, the footage is given new meaning. The story is told in voiceover by Laura Bohlin. Additional footage is… Continue reading My Happy Place: Making Meaning And Diving Into Nostalgia
Squatter: The Reciprocated Grip Of Obsession
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… Continue reading Squatter: The Reciprocated Grip Of Obsession
My Gypsy Road: Journeys Of Historical Significance And The Joys Of Theatre
A 28-minute documentary on Nataliya Tsekova, Bulgaria’s first Roma actress, My Gypsy Road (directed by Vilma Kartalska) closely examines its subject and the constituent parts of her life—her past and the many-layered present. With Tsekova at the centre, the story branches out to include her personal life, performances and her work with children. The latter… Continue reading My Gypsy Road: Journeys Of Historical Significance And The Joys Of Theatre
Making Peace: Coming To Terms With Life
Judah Ray’s 23-minute period drama, Making Peace, tells its story in fragments, going back in time to revisit events that haunt its two characters. Set in the Mojave desert, one is taken hostage by the other. What ensues brings everything hurtling to the forefront for one to confront. With cinematography that creates an authentic period… Continue reading Making Peace: Coming To Terms With Life