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★★★★★
Directed by: #KristenGerweck
Written by: Kristen Gerweck
Starring: #MegumiKabe, #HitoshiMasaki, #AkariHarada, #YukinaTakase, #LindaChung, #MihoAndo, #HiroshiWatanabe, #NatsukoAoike
The Wind Phone Movie Review
Hauntingly beautiful and infused with tragedy, #filmmaker Kristen Gerweck's short film The Wind Phone is ferocious yet delicate storytelling at its best.
Atop a seaside cliff sits a payphone (if you don't know what these are please Google). Isolated in its surroundings, the payphone is visited by seven different people over the course of one day. At first, their conversations with the person on the other end seem arbitrary and unconnected with the next caller. However, a harrowing thread looms in the distance that ties all these people together.
Phenomenal and breathtaking, The Wind Phone is top shelf #worldcinema. Every piece of the filmmaking is carefully constructed to piece together this tapestry of tragedy for the audience, who hold their breath as the anguish pours forth. The performances are all incredible, in particular the emotional outbursts from characters devastated by the reality of their relationship with the caller.
Gerweck uses space particularly well. There is intimate framing of the characters up close in the phonebox being juxtaposed with wide shots of the vast and endless coast. This juxtaposition is important to the short film's themes (which I won't spoil) and creates an ethereal atmosphere to be engulfed by. Some of the editing is also sharp and to the point. This creates a wonderful tension for the viewer, who gets snippets of disaster and drama but never enough to fully comprehend the events which have taken place.
It would be improper to draw comparisons between The Wind Phone and movies like it in terms of narrative, as this would give away an essential part of the enjoyment factor for new audiences. However, the film has a pedigree about it, in terms of filmmaking and storytelling, that sits it at the table with giants. Rumour has it the piece is under consideration for the Academy Awards, and it should do very well on the #filmfestival circuit. Viewers are likely to be drawn to the picturesque location, gripping performances, and harrowing depth.
Flawless, fragile, and formidable filmmaking that transcends time to deliver a story that is as captivating as it is heartbreaking. Gerweck proves herself to be someone studios will definitely want on the other end of the line.
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