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Directed by V.R. Rao
Starring David Thornton, Matti Leinikka and Julia Valen
Short Film Review by Jay Hussain
Amnesiac is an independent short film about a man who suffers from amnesia. The film starts with the man suddenly waking up in a field looking all lost and confused, and is trying to figure out and understand what is going on and who this mysterious blurred man is he keeps getting visions of. Is there a connection with this man? Why can’t he remember? And how is he going to put these pieces together?
What’s interesting about Amnesiac is the way director V.R. Rao has directed the film in a unique noir like stylish effect, and the way the narrative is told building up the film’s main characters and a metaphorical message by the end of the film. It may leave some viewers slightly confused by the outcome with no clear clarity or explanation, but that would have been the filmmaker's intention, as it leaves the movie open with unanswered questions, and it keeps the viewers guessing. It’s recommended that a second viewing might give you another opportunity to analyse the situation from a different perspective and you might end up having a completely different point of view from your original analysis.
In relation to the performance by the three main characters, they do an excellent job portraying their roles in such a short run time. Especially the young man (played by David Thornton), you can sense his frustration, confusion, urgency and tension building up towards the final act, and credit goes to those actors for delivering a solid performance.
Overall, this is an original short film which has been creatively written and brilliantly directed, it has great cinematography, some clever uses of sound and editing, a score which suited the tone of the film, and the storytelling was paced very well. Being shot in black and white for majority of the film, you can sense that dark and gritty tone throughout but it was a refreshing twist near the end transitioning into colour. It’s certainly an interesting watch being only 7 minutes long, it’s different and weird with a resemblance of Memento, and for any new film writers and directors out there who are wanting to get into the film industry it’s recommended you give this film a watch.
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