Pain

Filmmaker Marcus Kartal delivers a challenging, visceral and ambitious short film with Pain. Starring Francis Nunnery and Lara Levy, it’s a cinematic experience aimed to explore the filmmaker’s own struggle with sobriety, incorporating elements of parenthood, and ultimately strives to be unapologetically difficult to watch.

Julien and Celeste (Nunnery and Levy respectively) are a couple battling a traumatic situation. The former is suffering from seizures and has bizarre episodes, whilst the latter attempts to be there for her partner whilst also trying to deal with her own emotions about their desperate predicament. When the pair are thrown into a situation where they need to look after a baby, we see an explosion of tumultuous interactions within their relationship that are as graphic as they are disturbing. 

There is an enduring, intense sound design used within the short film Pain to chop up scenes and create massive unease in the audience. Listen through headphones and the severe build-up of noise can feel overwhelming. The crying baby is also a significant part of this growing sense of foreboding and is important for the thematic depth. Kartal doesn’t soak the movie in dialogue, keeping it minimal for the most part and often playing with coherence in order to further disorient his audience. He has stated on social media that the film stems from a dream he had whilst trying to come clean from his own substance abuse and the movie has a potent dreamlike/nightmarish balance. 

Not only is the sound brilliantly executed here, but there’s also a stunning visual assortment that awaits any viewer of Pain, with stark moments of bizarre behaviour involving eggs, tattoos, needles and more that will compel you to watch. The movie has an experimental feel to some of the scenes that is almost trippy and most definitely disturbing. Trainspotting was one film that came to mind during viewing, as did some of the weirder Lynchian movies. The result is artfully done and showcases Kartal as an impressive filmmaking talent. 

As a parent, this film is a hard watch. The intense crying and difficulty in getting your bearings will be familiar for anyone who has experienced the journey of new parenthood. Whilst the story’s elements of substance abuse and relationship anguish will give a wider appeal still. It’s not a film you will relish watching but often it’s our most painful moments we just can’t look away from.