jonathmp

I originally caught this at the LA Shorts Film Fest last year, and for whatever reason it's stuck with me ever since.

Breathlessly edited, heart-pounding score, eye-melting black and white photography, and a very memorable twist ending that turns the heist genre on its head.

Definitely a standout from that year.

Has anyone else seen this?

Looking forward to whatever else Mr. Berry has in store for us... I also recommend "See You Later," which is stylistically a changeup but shows just as much promise.

A highly cinematic and impressive short film, director James Berry displays an assured confidence and genuine sensitivity towards working with actors. Although largely dialogue-free, I felt queued into the character's inner thoughts and emotions in such away that it never felt unnatural or stagey.

The film is beautifully photographed to evoke the bittersweet melancholy of comforting memories fading away, and has a surprisingly effective score that never feels intrusive or overpowering.

Again, I highly recommend seeking out this short however possible.

Go ahead, laugh all you want at the genre description. The truth of the matter is Wostenberg's tale of bleak optimism and waning hope is played completely straight; there's no winking at the camera to be seen here. And what's all the more odd is the film never once becomes laughable in spite of the outrageous premise. For within the backdrop of a crumbling society buckling under the weight of a violent contagion and its own obsession with sanitation, the story of a mother who struggles to save a young girl from the same fate as her own doomed child is highly affecting and engaging. All across the board, the production values of this USC short genuinely outshine those of recent big budget sci-fi fare like Chronicles of Riddick. For you gore hounds out there, you've got a very healthy fix of vampiric feasting and swordplay on display here. And the songs, especially "When Salvation Comes," will stick with you long after the credits have rolled. If you need a one-sentence blurb, I can't put it any simpler: student films don't get any more ambitious or compelling than this!