Betrayed
Critic:
Chris Buick
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Posted on:
Oct 16, 2024
Directed by:
Ewan Gorman, Dagmar Scheibenreif
Written by:
Caitlin Cameron, Philip Halmarack, Jay Shurey
Starring:
Stefan Butler, Suzy Bastone, Caitlin Cameron
Determined to protect his daughter from those who would seek to utilise her unique abilities for potentially nefarious means (no spoilers as to the specifics here), Sam (Butler) hides his daughter Isobel (Cameron) away day-after-day at an undisclosed location for what he sees is her own safety. But with Isobel growing more and more tired of feeling like a prisoner, and with a gang of other interested parties led by the uncompromising Lauren (Bastone) closing in, Sam begins to feel himself backed into a corner and running out of people he can trust.
A proof-of-concept short looking to present enough of itself so as to become a fully-fledged feature, Betrayed thankfully does everything it might need to in order to get itself noticed and raised to the next level. Here, we are introduced to an array of intriguing characters and teased by a number of luring backstories and half-explored relationships in a script that is tantalisingly crafted by writers Cameron, Halmarack and Shurey.
Everything presented to us is deliberately kept at a very top-level, the audience never knowing too much about what is really going on and finding ourselves scrambling to put what little information we have together and yet realising there are still many pieces of this puzzle we can’t get our hands on. As more doors open into each of these characters lives and stories and circumstances, just as we’ve had our peek inside each one it is slammed back on our faces again, importantly never leaving us with frustration but rather with exciting questions we need answered. Whether all this potential can be fully realised in a feature remains to be seen, but based on what is presented here, it at the very least deserves its chance.
The film can be a bit overly dramatic at times, some of the character moments a bit forced and over-exaggerated to make sure they make their point. But these moments really are few and far between. Betrayed has a cast where everyone knows their role and plays it admirably to create something bigger and better than the mere sum of their parts. The film also keeps things fresh with different storytelling techniques and a mix of themes to boot, some that it must be said need more context and prior warning for viewers i.e. a scene involving an upsetting sexual assault, but otherwise, it’s a film that’s been thought out enough to hook you right in and fully justify being given the chance offer even more.
Very much like the pilot of an intriguing drama, and with apparently more to be revealed in a potentially upcoming “ISOBEL” feature, with its plethora of themes, varied characters and well-paced and balanced storytelling, Betrayed is a film that not only promises a lot more but also proves it’s likely to deliver on it.
Watch our Video Film Review below.