Depicting the interrogation of a prisoner, Jay Bhatti’s The Talk is gritty. Specifically, an agent, taken prisoner by human traffickers. His interrogator? A former agent turned prisoner turned defector. Facing the current prisoner is a choice: talk willingly, or be broken into submission. David Omordia plays the prisoner. After yet another shower of blows, he is sat… Continue reading The Talk: An Accessible Action Thriller
Tag: Thriller Short Film Review
Homestead: Slow Burn Psychological Horror That Feeds On Obsession, Ego And Control
Homestead, written and directed by McKinley Benson and Enzo Hui, is more a horror than a thriller, centred on the struggles and eventual breakdown of a man trying to build a home in the open lands of Oregon in the 1870s. The film bears in its mood an unmistakable resemblance to Robert Eggers’s The Witch. There… Continue reading Homestead: Slow Burn Psychological Horror That Feeds On Obsession, Ego And Control
HomeBound: Rare Authenticity In A Mental Illness Story
Small things become objects of great fear. Like a door. It’s just a door. Unless it is the sole barrier that is keeping the outside…out. It’s just a door unless the sound of its creaking hinge makes your insides twist and freeze with dread. And the great outdoors is nothing but a mine of dangers,… Continue reading HomeBound: Rare Authenticity In A Mental Illness Story
Sweetie: A Visceral Look At The World Of Paedophiles & Their Hunters
In the 09:35-minute long narrative, writer-director Riley Cusick expertly handles a subject that is both sensitive and complex. A close-up of a predator and his kill, the film, despite its jazz-like music and warm colour palettes, is discomforting to watch. And, a stellar cast doesn’t make it any easier. And, with these choices, Cusick offers… Continue reading Sweetie: A Visceral Look At The World Of Paedophiles & Their Hunters
I Am An Island: Valuable Lesson Imparted, Yet Again, Through Brilliant Acting
Writer-director Damian Draven’s 12:22-minute long I Am An Island (IAAI) adds to the already long list of films on mental health. So, what makes it different? Three things. Its concept of pitting two ex-lovers together highlighting a very pressing social issue—suicide. It’s filming that occurred during the lockdown. And, finally and most importantly, the fact… Continue reading I Am An Island: Valuable Lesson Imparted, Yet Again, Through Brilliant Acting
Broken Shelter: Looking Hate, And Terror It Spreads, In The Face
Tim Hewitt’s Broken Shelter surprises. Despite its obviously amateur choice of camera, not only does the film have largely compelling camerawork, it does storytelling with a deftness that one would not immediately expect from it. The 13-minute film opens on a tense domestic scene: Tim (played by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) is to move out of the… Continue reading Broken Shelter: Looking Hate, And Terror It Spreads, In The Face
I Still Am: Beginning At The End Of Abuse
A thriller impressively made during lockdown, Tara Lynn Rye and Simon O’Keefe’s 11-minute I Still Am takes a psychological approach to the aftermath of domestic abuse. The title is a refrain that occurs through the narrative, its protagonist listing out all the things she still is, even away from her abuser. Still afraid, still walking… Continue reading I Still Am: Beginning At The End Of Abuse
Fruta Extraña: Poignant Short That Elucidates The Consequences Of Hate Speech
Even as news of the Biden administration reuniting 4 migrant families separated on Trump’s diktat makes waves across the globe, the hope is met with bitterness. Bitterness of the hate crimes meted out against the migrant families, as a direct consequence of the hateful rhetoric the previous administration exercised. While short films seldom experiment with… Continue reading Fruta Extraña: Poignant Short That Elucidates The Consequences Of Hate Speech
The Foal: A Hangover Horror Like None Other
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… Continue reading The Foal: A Hangover Horror Like None Other
Blueberry Flytrap: A Supernatural Thriller Masked As An Innocent Meet-Cute
Co-written by Jubei Powers and (story) Ali Matlock, the 18:23-minute short is unusual on all accounts. For one, it gives the immense pleasure of watching Asians play the leads. And, another high simply because of the uniqueness of its tale presented. But, perhaps, the most deserving shoutout, for its versatile storytelling. Blueberry Flytrap is an… Continue reading Blueberry Flytrap: A Supernatural Thriller Masked As An Innocent Meet-Cute