Ready or Not

A sub-five-minute short film, Ready or Not from director Jessica Marie England is a fascinating, if brief, burst of suspense storytelling. 

Whilst calmly walking through the streets of London in the daytime, Kevin (Tyler Day) is about to experience a cranking of adrenaline. First, his mother (Eleanor Sturt) messages him to remind him to take his medication (our first signpost as an audience that something is about to go down). Secondly, Kevin is wearing a highly discernible red bandana tucked into his trouser back pocket which catches the attention of the soon-to-be Chaser (Mathias Seiler) who happens to be wearing a blue bandana in his back pocket. What ensues is a thrilling chase through the urban streets as Kevin hopes to elude his mysterious attacker. 

Ambiguous and cerebral, Ready or Not plays with the viewer’s unknowingness brilliantly, keeping us glued to the action and desperate for more information. The warning signs about Kevin’s health (the medication) give us enough cause for concern almost instantaneously to ensure the very short film is successful in its execution. Without that layer of fragility applied to his character, the chase that forms most of the movie would have felt inconsequential. Instead, we are clinging to Kevin for dear life, hoping he escapes and that we get some glimmer of explanation as to what the hell is going on. 

More of a physically demanding performance than needing to worry about remembering his lines, Tyler Day puts in a wonderful turn as Kevin. It’s a role steeped in confusion and perturbation, not an easy one to play, but Day showcases a plethora of acting chops in quick succession to ensure the audience connects with Kevin and stays with him for the duration of the piece. The final moments of the short film, which I won’t spoil, are particularly noteworthy. 

It’s a limited film and viewers will be forgiven for feeling used and abused. We quickly get on board with the action sequence unfolding before our eyes and there is a payoff but it is all too quick. This feels like a small scene in a much bigger movie and whilst the subtle links to substantial themes such as mental health and anxiety make it a worthwhile watch, it feels like only the thinnest skimming of the water compared to what we want as an audience. 

Jessica Marie England shows herself to be a very capable director of action sequences and delivering a compelling story with rapidity. Given a full running time and the resources to boot, it would be fascinating to see what else could be delivered.