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★★★★
Directed by: Jason Farries
Written by: Jason Farries
Starring: Jason Farries and Nick Ewans
London Independent Film Festival Review by: Rachel Pullen
The Voodoo Man Movie Review
I would like to believe that voodoo is real, that I could take a strand of my enemy’s hair, put it into a Care Bear or other ‘’voodoo’’ type doll and then stabby stab them until they fall to my every desire, or I could chuck some herbs, spices and a dollop of hummus into a caldron and create magic...but alas all that had come out is a nice Mediterranean dish.
But if it were real, if we knew that the power existed, who of us would employ it? Would you take the opportunity to take down your enemies, or even a loved one?
Jason Ferries has decided to tackle this subject, acting, producing and directing his short film...The Voodoo Man.
We are thrust into an exotic and sensual atmosphere, a room where you can feel the smoke hanging around you in the air, where you can smell the incense burning; feel the powerful presence of the voodoo man before a word has fallen from his lips. The atmosphere within the room creates the character before we have even begun, an important aspect for a short that only takes place in one location.
Our voodoo man is sensual and dominant in appearance, his makeup is nothing to marvel at, he is still human, but we are aware of his relationship to the darker side of life, and with all voodoo there is a lot of pageantry to the appearance of those involved. These details have not been overlooked, they have been researched and detailed well, and as well as that his appearance allows for the stark contrast between himself and his next client.
Enter a businessman, a man who looks out of place against the backdrop of colour and pattern, of candles and Care Bears, a man who looks more at home in the aisles of his local Marks and Spencer.
He wishes to kill his boss and after a little convincing, our voodoo man decides to help him by creating a chocolate truffle, something that his boss could not resist.
Now SPOILER ALERT, the businessman gobbles that little candy up like me at a Mars Delight convention, and quickly dies...bants, it was suicide all along, of course, I’m not gonna lie, could see it coming from a mile away, but still an interesting development, and it’s one that is made even more enjoyable by the flippant response from our voodoo man, he must be accustomed to all these suicidal businessmen.
The Voodoo man as a short film is beautiful to behold, the atmosphere is well established, creating powerful mood from the get-go, the use of light and colours help make the moments whereby magic is used look professional whilst clearly on a budget, at the end of the day if glitter and smoke were used it would not be in keeping with the nature of voodoo.
Time and effort have gone into respecting voodoo as an art, and like films before it such as The Serpent and the Rainbow, the director and his team have taken care to remember that voodoo is considered a lifestyle to some cultures in the world, and not something to use lightly within a movie.
Enjoyable acting, visually stimulating with an excellent script, The Voodoo Man makes for promising careers for all involved, especially the triple threat filmmaker Jason Farries.
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