Flies

A troubled man isolates himself inside a large house, where he contemplates his current situation and surroundings.

A man (McGill) is in his untidy home by himself. He wears a blue dressing gown and appears to be distressed. He never leaves his property and observes things that are significant to him, such as flies, broken glass on the floor and photographs. Occasionally, he becomes upset and throws things around. It is indicated that he has been in this state for a while and that he is dealing with the consequences of a terrible tragedy. He receives regular visits by a doctor (Wyatt), who seems unable to help him.

This is a short drama that looks into the mind of an individual who appears to have lost his way and does not know how to move on. The overall mood is generally unhappy, with the man being sad and not smiling and unwilling to take action in order to improve his situation. His voice-over is heard throughout the film, which provides an insight into his feelings, which tend to be mostly negative.

There are flashbacks that utilise different cinematography than the rest of the film and they appear to show the incident that led to the man's current state. Some scenes mix fantasy with reality and give an idea regarding the protagonist's psychological state. The special effects that are used on a character's head are impressive. There is effective use of slow motion and sound effects and Daniel Greensmith provides music that is beautiful, dramatic and mesmerising.

As McGill is almost constantly on screen and almost constantly by himself, his performance is the centre of the film and he is very convincing in his role as a person whose life has come to a standstill due to a tragedy. Isolating himself, throwing things around and not interacting with anyone, he is in a rather sad situation.

This is a story about loss, grief and isolation. It is a character study about an isolated man and his perspective on his life and his environment. It provides an emotional viewing experience and deserves a lot of praise.