Sopann - The Sequel
Critic:
Patrick Foley
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Posted on:
Jun 6, 2024
Directed by:
Duane Thomas Dsouza
Written by:
Duane Thomas Dsouza
Starring:
Duane Thomas Dsouza
Duane Thomas Dsouza’s Sopann – The Sequel feels more like a visual tech demo as opposed to a traditional narrative. The blending of fantastical, nightmarish dreamscape backgrounds with the performances of its cast means that this Hindi-language short is visually impressive given its lower budget, but relatively devoid of depth beyond this.
The plot follows a man navigating a terrifying world inhabited by skeletons and otherworldly apparitions, relayed the tortuous experience to a friend in an undetermined time after the ordeal. As he relived his experience, it is revealed that their world may not be quite as it seems either, calling their own reality into question.
Duane Thomas Dsouza demonstrates genuinely interesting video editing and VFX in Sopann – The Sequel which viewers can ascertain is the ultimate purpose of the film. Coming in at barely longer than 2 minutes, there is little time to develop any meaningful story or characters. Instead, the film’s focus is fixated on the visual experience. As this is a personal project of Dsouza, the result is actually something that is reasonably impressive – with the characters implanted into a complex and energetic world in relatively convincing fashion. There are some noticeable rougher edges but on the whole audiences can easily slip into the belief that the characters inhabit the world that they are navigating.
Monochromatic visual overlays similarly add to the film’s artistry, as skeletal figures impressively burst from the screen with added shine that mixes around the physical performance of the cast. The imagery is clean and crisp, and creates both an engaging and unnerving sensation for the film which adds to the overall mysticism that the director seeks to create.
However, it should be said that outside of the visual, the film is significantly lacking in depth. The plot is threadbare and confusing, briefly covering concepts around reality and perception but with nowhere near sufficient time to really make any transient points. Fans looking for technically impressive visual effects without any real story to drive the events they surround will be happy, but more plot would be required for the majority of viewers.
Sopann – The Sequel is a niche film that impressively outperforms its budgetary circumstances to deliver visuals that demonstrate its creator’s abilities in the editing suite. But this is unlikely to sustain a wider audience interest without a coherent story or engaging characters. The rapid runtime is helpful in this regard, but the film is more likely to leave a longer impression on its audience because of this.