★★★
Directed by: #CraigFoggo
Starring: #MatthewSpurgeon, #FraserProvan, #GraemeCampbell, #AJHarris, #EoinGrant, #BaileyPenman
Short Film Review by: Alexandra James
Craig Fosso’s Abandon Fear 2 keeps the action alive within the franchise with a new addition to the collection. The post-apocalyptic world in which brothers Janus and Jackie now live in, test the strengths of those that enter their path in an attempt to abolish fear and build upon the force within their troops. However, their seems to be sibling rivalry between the two characters and it is this conflict which begins to separate the group entirely. Will this feud tear them apart forever or will they find a way to reconcile and join as one force.
The cinematography to this piece was interesting, it was the darkness of the picture which reflected the narrative perfectly. There was that feel of coldness and a foreboding atmosphere to this short which sets the audience up for future horrors and a grisly storyline. The location was great and gave the director a lot to work with in terms of diverse camera angles and helping to feed into this post-apocalyptic world with the desolate areas and barns converted into safe spaces for the soldiers to rest. This was a perfect place to film and allows the audience to really immerse themselves within the action as if fighting for survival themselves!
The two young boys within this piece should be commended on their acting style they certainly heightened the gravity of the situation. When young children are thrown into the midst of war, your mind instantly compares this with your own family dynamic. The fear and worry would be haunting and can portray this piece in a whole new light. There were times where the audience needed to see a bit more upset from the two boys, perhaps when reflecting on their family home and having to travel around alone. However, this does come with more experience and can be easily rectified in other projects, in order to display the emotion and pain that the characters would be feeling at this crucial time.
Abandon Fear 2 is a great action filled film that focuses on pride, determination and breaking down barriers whether this be physically pushing our bodies to the limit, or mentally becoming stronger and suppressing any and all fear that can hold a person back. Craig Foggo has great vision, and with future projects, it is clear that he will cement his own style within much of his filmmaking and go on to develop great work filled with action and adventure much like Abandon Fear 2 and Mask No Fear.
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