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★★★★ Directed by: Fabio Guglielmelli Written by: Fabio Guglielmelli Starring: Dimitri Andreas Short Film Review by: Chris Olson
Intriguing and introspective, Fabio Guglielmelli’s short film The Bed is a dramatic piece of dialogue-free filmmaking that asks the audience the posit, and answer, all the questions with phenomenally compelling results.
Dimitri Andreas plays a gentleman going about his end of day routines, tidying his flat from what looks like a party, although his outfit suggests otherwise, as he makes preparations for sleep. However, once in The Bed, he seems haunted by events which play around in his mind, keeping a restful slumber an elusive possibility. He attempts to busy himself with other menial tasks and activities, however, the voices of memory are never far away.
Tactful and intelligently filmed, filmmaker Fabio Guglielmelli proves you can do a whole lot with very little. Whilst the narrative is vague and the locations are limited, The Bed still impresses on a cinematic level. Andreas is the focal point for the audience, both in a visual sense and our growing perception of events which may have taken place, a role which he inhabits spectacularly. As he moves through his apartment with all the placidity of a caged animal, a palpable foreboding emanates and we are encouraged to imagine various situations that could explain why this man can't sleep, and why it looks as if a wake has just taken place.
The pacing of the short was brilliant, allowing the atmosphere to slowly boil in the background whilst the viewer is led into a false sense of security. There is a disarming effect to watching an elderly gent walking about his home that perfectly contrasts the possible darker themes at play or to create poignant suggestions as to why he is tidying after what looks like a gathering has taken place. Guglielmelli wants your imagination to start percolating and then run wild, a tremendous filmmaking skill.
Whilst the aesthetic is cleverly delivered, the central performance is captivating, and the premise is a smart one, the lack of a narrative, or rather tangible plot points, is certain to leave many audiences isolated and potentially unsatisfied from a viewing. It's a film that demands you bring as much to the table as it will, and if you can heartily engage then it will have any number of fascinating and entertaining attributes, but if you turn up expecting to be spoon-fed a linear narrative or simple yarn, all you will find is a man tidying, smoking, and doing anything but sleep.
Watch the official movie trailer for The Bed below...
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