Fool with a Gun

Fool with a Gun presents a noir world with a surreal twist. The camera angles, which are the highlight of the short film, expressively reveal the shape of objects. Perhaps most prominently, the gun is shown at an angle. The dynamics of the short film visually are exciting and engaging. They often reveal care for depth of field and guide the audience through visual cues to interpret the narrative—much like a silent film.

The acting, which is always on point, provides a glimpse into the character’s psyche and the standard footprint of noir narratives: a sense of danger and crime. 

Overall, the short, perhaps at times, leans too heavily on the one-man show. It excels as a micro project that could be fleshed out more through interactions with other characters. The minimalism, though, is exciting to see, much like the works of Jim Jarmusch. 

A BAD, BAD DAY

With a bold choice of image ratio, A Bad, Bad Day hits the nail on the head of a retro indie production, recalling the visual treats of Clerks. Like Clerks, it has a central character who is comically facing the demise of their personhood—or at least a version of it (perhaps in that regard, it is more like Chasing Amy). 

Overall, the film benefits from its strong sense of locale and the many moments where we are given glimpses into Jalen Snowden’s Murphy, who travels through a terrain of urban spaces and people of these local social ‘clicks’. On this, the film truly excels, as it celebrates its strong understanding of authenticity and the circumstances that Murphy lives in. 

The best compliment one can give this short film is that it demands a sense of time and mood that is unfamiliar in short films and feels more fitting for a feature film. Jalen Snowden’s style and approach are definitely those of a director already working in the fashion of a feature film.

The Back Garden 

Directing duo Pat Bradley and Melanie Gretchen give us a glimpse into the world of secrecy and tense discussions around the interactions of a few individuals who carry a lot of power. 

Melanie Gretchen’s performance, which embraces substantial tonal shifts, provides a strong backbone to the film. Her reactions and dynamics with other characters unfold the narrative and the risks of the situations these individuals face.

With long takes, and intense use of sound, the film reveals itself as a darker tone by the end of the short film.

The highlight of this production though is its production values, which embrace the space as a varied presentation of different times of day – heightening to its dark broody conclusion by the end of the short film. A tighter edit, and perhaps even a strong sense of genre, would have elevated the production even further. 

Viaticum 

With bold black and white photography and a memorable score – which accentuates the emotional undertone of the project, Viaticum is a comical film with the highest of elevated presentations: a comical priest-led short film. 

With several key ensemble performances, which help provide a great sense of comedic timing and dynamic performances of several caricatures, the film is a memorable and enjoyable treat – the kind that can be presented in crowd settings for a successful, comical reaction. 

While many shots provide great order to the people and objects in the frame, at times, the lighting overshadows some areas, making it harder to understand the entirety of the performance. Overall, though, this is a minor hiccup in a very well-rounded film. 

Another strong element is the script, which seems to be perfectly attuned to the genre’s requirements: it is intriguing, familiar and very inviting. The use of a priest and a man confessing, though typical of a deathbed setting, is elevated and made fresh with the keen direction explored in this short film. 

A feature effort is now on the menu.