A Brush of Violence

A photographer is assigned to work with an eccentric painter, leading to fateful consequences.

Akila (Krystyna) is a professional photographer and her boss (Scott) informs her that a well-known but unconventional painter named Vio (Vesselinov) has requested that she goes to his property and take pictures of him. Vio has not had people at his home for years so this opportunity is quite unique. Akila drives to Vio's large mansion and proceeds to take pictures of him. As they talk and she becomes more familiar with the way he views the world, things turn dramatic and life-changing.

This short utilises a strange and isolated artist as the main tool in order to tell a dramatic story that also moves towards thriller territory. A large portion of the narrative takes place inside Vio's mansion, with Akila taking pictures of him and having dinner with him. During her time with him, he explains his art to her, which stands out due to its violent subject matter and how he was influenced by the bad things that take place in the world. Later, the two of them go to Vio's studio that is filled with headless mannequins and it is there where both their lives change forever. The screenplay also explores how Akila was affected by her encounter with Vio.

Krystyna's character is a young woman with plenty of tattoos and is a talented photographer who uses an old-fashioned camera for her work. She comes across as an expert in her field and looks like a dynamic person, wearing black clothing, driving a black car and even carrying a black carryall bag. The arrival of Vio is what changes the atmosphere, making it dramatic and sinister. Vio is a painter who has hidden himself from the world, living in a mansion with his assistant Vaasefa (Machari) and he expresses himself in disturbing ways through his art as he has obviously been affected by the world's atrocities. He comes across as intelligent, yet also damaged and dangerous, particularly when he points a stylised pistol at Akila and later at his temple.

Huge commendations go to Darren Streibig for the wonderful cinematography and Lexi Hiland and Wilson are rather creative with the editing, especially during a montage that contains fast cutting and superimposition.

Praise also goes to Joseph Holiday and Snakes Of Russia for the dymamic, dramatic and sinister score.

This film is a story about a meeting between two artists and the impact it has on one of them (in this case Akila) and it focuses mostly on Vio's perspective about life and the world and it is him who affects the plot the most. It is also a commentary on mental health and on painting and photography as forms of art and the strong screenplay and interesting characters make this an intriguing viewing.