Creatures of Habit

Set in a dimly lit bar, we are introduced to a journalist named Meekah (Theo White) hard at work. He is approached by a mysterious and rather sinister character (Timothy J. Cox) who pursues him for a conversation.

We see Meekah take his drinks from the bar and get stuck into his work. A top-down shot shows Meekah in the process of what appears to be an investigation into a cold case. Sifting through various crime scene photos, a stranger approaches. At first, Meekah is distracted but begins to pay attention to how the stranger perceives the world.

The mood lighting already sets up this idea of good and evil. Both sitting across from each other at the booth, one side warm-toned and vibrant and the other cold and casting shadows.

At first, we don’t see the stranger’s face, keeping us suspicious about the motive of the conversation.

When Meekah does start to become intrigued, we cut to the face of the stranger taking up the whole screen, covered by a hat, never seeing his eyes. Only his mouth is illuminated as he speaks in this unsettling tone; this creates a silhouette that is completely menacing. The camera work in this short delivers this film so effortlessly. We go from top-down, to over-the-shoulder and up-close intimate shots of both characters during the interaction.

The acting between the two is impressive, delivering convincing character arcs and the sound is of great quality.

At the beginning, only background noise is heard and as the conversation progresses, we hear a rich string score representing the ever-growing tension. A short-form thriller like this leaves the audience wanting more.

The title ‘Creatures of Habit’ is cleverly worded for both the two characters. Meekah is so caught up in his own work that he neglects relationships in his personal life and is somewhat a loner. The stranger stalks people, observes them, and lives by this pattern. Ultimately, the two worlds collide in this good vs evil play-through. We are left with more questions than answers, and it’s perfectly set up for a bigger project.

Overall, the short feels inspired by films like ‘Seven’ and ‘Zodiac’. It uses the darkly dressed stranger as a trope for a greater lurking evil. This is enhanced with aspects like the lighting, shots, and dialogue.

The environment feels like we’ve stepped straight into a dive bar, and all of this is credit to the quality of the film.

This could have potentially been a longer run time, exploring both characters more. However, it adds to the mystery of the film, which is what is clearly intended. Both actors perform convincing roles and capture the essence of the film in such a short amount of time.

They nailed the aesthetics with the cinematography and kept us wanting more from this cat and mouse portrayal.