Spiders in the Wall

Spiders in the Wall is an ambitious psychological drama that is an engaging yet frustrating watch. Directed by Christopher Di Nunzio and written by Kris Salvi, the 11-minute short film follows CIA agent Azeil Baxter (Justin Thibault), who is stuck in a nightmarish scenario where reality becomes blurred, and he must contend with an enemy spy. Kris Salvi produced the idea for the script because of a dream that he had, and the title of the film plays into the fears of the unknown.

One of the biggest strengths the film has is creating a bleak atmosphere. The film has a washed-out colour palette that adds to the darkened mood and the feeling that the character is in an uneasy, lonely dream state. Vivid colours would ground the film and make it seem more realistic. The tight camera angles and close-up shots also add to the claustrophobic feel and the idea that the character is stuck in an endless dream. The balance between the use of music and silence discomforts the audience further. Naturally, the creepy music makes the audience feel uneasy, but the silence of the film does make the supposed dream scenes more impactful and mysterious. Music constantly playing would have been distracting and taking away from the atmosphere. There is some blood and gore with the practical effects coming off well.

The performances in the film are solid, but with the restricted runtime and the way the narrative is structured, the performances were not given the freedom to truly make an impact. Justin Thibault relies on facial expression to convey the inner emotion of his character, as there is not much dialogue. He does a good job anchoring the film, whilst Kayla Caulfield adds to the mystery of the film and is a good emotional weight. Audiences will enjoy the psychological take on the spy genre rather than the usual spy thriller.

Even for an 11-minute film, the pacing of the film is quick as we jump to various locations as Azeil keeps waking up or having flashbacks. This adds to the suspense but could leave the viewers confused with how quickly the film moves. Overall, though, the film has great pacing, and it never drags. The lighting of the film is another positive, with dominating dark shadows on some scenes and illuminating light on others, contrasting the mental state of the main character.

The screenplay is ambitious for a short runtime, and although the tone of the film was consistent and engaging throughout, the script, I think, would have benefitted from a longer runtime. The mysterious atmosphere and ambiguity can be seen as both a strength and weakness. Some of the aspects of the plot are left undeveloped with either not much context or depth for the audience to fully invest in the characters or world. Satisfying answers are swapped for ambiguity, which can be frustrating, and the abrupt ending. Important character interactions are touched upon but never fully explored. The film's ambitions are admirable, but it has several different ideas, but none are fully developed.

Spiders in the Wall is an interesting and ambitious short film that offers a different take on the espionage genre. The film succeeds in creating an uneasy atmosphere and has strong technical craftsmanship with great cinematography, sound design, lighting, and editing. However, the overstuffed yet underdeveloped script coupled with the short runtime restrict the film from fully reaching the emotional or thematic depths needed to fully engage the audience.