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★★★★
Directed by: #BojanBrbora
Written by: #BojanBrbora
Starring: #JonCampling, #UnaKovac, #HaiLe, #JoHart
Surprise follows a deadly assassin planning to attack a mysterious redhead, however, the story does not go quite to plan and it is the assassin himself who becomes ambushed. A twist none of us expected! This short film appeared at the London Independent Film Festival 2020 before the festival was unfortunately cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Surprise introduces the audience to an ominous character, his professionalism is next to none as he sweeps the house completely unnoticed and remains light on his feet; dressed in a suave suit with a sleek ponytail, the assassins expertise comes in handy picking his way through locked doors. However, these skills swiftly become inadequate for our killer as he is left startled and unprepared for what he soon discovers…
The camera work is seamless. One long take just following the assassin, throwing the audience into the action. At first, it seems as though the short is setting the audience up for a thriller, nevertheless, Surprise twists the narrative and becomes comedic in parts, as it breaks away from the clichéd predator/victim narrative and creates a space to laugh at the characters. This short film acts as a window into a more complicated story. It shows the audience a snippet of a scene which could have been taken from a feature-length film. However, the extra storyline is completely unnecessary as the audience are able to easily comprehend the scenario in just a short space of time: an assassin and a naïve victim soon to be killed. The audience merely has to wait and watch the cat and mouse chase develop.
It's interesting incorporating such long takes, as it gives the short that Hitchcock-esque vibe, especially because it is a thriller. Hitchcock was very well known for building the tension within much of his work, creating this ambiguity and leaving the audience waiting for that crucial climactic scene. Surprise runs parallel to this pressure build-up but gives us the shock many of us weren’t expecting!
A very successful story with twists and turns as well as harbouring strong performances from each of the characters. This piece has the potential to unfold further and show the audience the events which led to such an unexpected ending. A cleverly written piece which keeps you on your toes, making it a must-see!
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