The Reaper Man film review by UK film critic Chris Olson. Starring Jessica Jai Johnson, Kenon Walker, Ebony Bivens directed by Jaron Lockridge. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Reaper Man Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Chris Olson | Posted on: Jul 19, 2023 Directed by: Jaron Lockridge Written by: Jaron Lockridge Starring: Jessica Jai Johnson, Kenon Walker, Ebony Bivens When a group of thieves end up killing her husband Joseph (Kenon Walker), it leaves Jessica (Jessica Jai Johnson) desperate enough to seek the help of a local mystic who is able to resurrect people. Regrettably, the Joseph that returns is not the same as before and he only has one thing on his mind: revenge. A humble horror, filmmaker Jaron Lockridge wears many hats to get his film up and running (writer, director, editor etc) and the result is an immersive, if clunky, watch. It’s always impressive to see an indie horror that shoots its shot and ends up somewhere near the goal. There are a lot of elements to praise in The Reaper Man , such as the contemplative pacing (although some shots do veer into the awkwardly lingering stage), the passionate performances of the two leads, and the use of flashback scenes to intelligently fill in the viewer’s narrative gaps. It’s a difficult film to know who to root for. Joseph is a kind man pre-death but his zombie version is full of righteous anger and violence. The thieves who terrorised our couple at the beginning become the targets, being stalked by Joseph. It’s only really Jessica who we cling to but it was her decision to summon him back (even after being warned) which causes all of the dark aftermath. The revenge theme is compelling though and scenes where innocents get caught up in the fray make for some of the most exciting. A few of The Reaper Man 's subplots are interesting to follow, such as the detectives who are always one step behind Joseph, or the relationship between Jessica and her sister Candace (Ebony Bivens). The “demon back from the dead” plot feels familiar and ambitious at times for a film with this budget. Horror aficionados will lament the lack of gore and brutality in Joseph’s conveyor belt of killings, and may even laugh at the numerous times he says “Time to atone” whilst, I assume, wearing Hallowe’en contact lenses. There are sound issues aplenty and the film does have a cheap charm that will remove any mainstream appeal but for fans of the genre (we bloody love you) they will certainly get a kick out of Lockridge’s appealing, almost romantic zombie thriller that sways just the right side of schlocky. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Chris Olson Indie Feature Film, Horror < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Family Drama film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Keon Martial-Phillip, Kayley Rainton, Tiffany Thomas directed by Keon Martial-Phillip. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Family Drama Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Jan 12, 2023 Directed by: Keon Martial-Phillip Written by: Daniel Glenn-Barbour Starring: Keon Martial-Phillip, Kayley Rainton, Tiffany Thomas A young couple face the challenges that are caused by the disapproval of their relatives regarding their relationship. The film begins with Emilia (Rainton) storming out of the house where her partner's mother lives. Emilia got into an altercation with her and her partner Amani (Phillip) has followed her, hoping to calm things down. The two of them discuss what happened and how they each have trouble getting along with each other's family. This short drama has a plot that is basically the aftermath of a quarrel and the majority of the narrative explores the problems the couple have due to their interracial relationship. Emilia is caucasian and Amani is black and Amani's mother and sister dislike white-skinned people and Emilia's father does not think much of people of colour. The couple discuss how they feel about how their relationship is viewed by others and there is plenty of arguing and drama, however, the screenplay also explores the couple's tender relationship and makes it clear that they are happy together and are determined to remain so. The film includes a montage that is accompanied by a song and it reveals the history of the couple's joyful relationship. The montage is well-constructed and makes effective use of dissolve techniques and by watching it one understands how happy the two of them are together and that they will not let anything get between them. There are some great aerial shots of buildings and the soundtrack consists of several rap songs. Generally, this short focuses on problems people can have in their relationship, particularly if the relationship is interracial. The story deals with disapproval, racism, romance, family values and reconciliation and with the interesting subjects that it explores and good acting, this film offers a thoughtful viewing. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Mami Wata film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring Evelyn Ily Juhen, Uzoamaka Aniunoh, Emeka Amakeze directed by C.J. Obasi. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Mami Wata Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Oct 12, 2023 Directed by: C.J. Obasi Written by: C.J. Obasi Starring: Evelyn Ily Juhen, Uzoamaka Aniunoh, Emeka Amakeze Almost Shakespearean in its scope, with a bold visual style that stands on its own, C.J. Obasi’s Mami Wata delivers a spellbinding folktale of power, of matriarchy versus patriarchy. In the mythical village of Iyi on the West African coast of a time period that could be today, or could be the recent past, Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) has lost patience with her mother, Mama Efe (Rita Edochie). Mama Efe is the village intermediary to Mami Wata, the sea goddess who protects and provides for them. Zinwe is eager to become intermediary. Zinwe is not the only villager growing restless with Mama Efe. Wild, angry Jabi (Kelechi Udegbe) is calling for a revolution against the madness of the Mami Wata followers. But Prisca (Evelyn Ily Juhen) believes in her village and her people and hopes to resolve the conflict. As is the case with most fairy tales, Mama Wati is symbolic, the story itself a simplified, magical version of life. In this case, a story of power and powerlessness is reminiscent of communities across West Africa over the decades. When Jasper (Emeka Amakeze) drifts ashore, with his outsider views and experience of war, a spark is ignited that Mama Efe will not be able to drown. Obasi amplifies the tale’s cinematic quality with breathtaking visual instincts. The costuming and makeup – magnificently structured hairstyles, incandescent makeup and boldly patterned fabrics – give the story a hypnotic feel. Cinematographer Lílis Soares – whose work here earned her Sundance’s special jury prize – capitalizes on the film’s gorgeous production design as well as the expressionistic black and white to create a spellbinding vision suited to the tale. Mami Wata is a spectacle of water and light. Raindrops on a forehead, seashells in a braid, sea spray as day turns to night – Obasi builds an otherworldly atmosphere from moments like these. The action sequences feel a little out of place, and performances can sometimes come off as stilted. But the core themes take on heartbreaking relevance, and both Ily and Amakeze offer compelling turns. Plus, you will not see another film quite like Mami Wata . Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Hope Madden Theatrical Release, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

The Last Anomaly film review by UK film critic Chris Buick. Starring Adam J. Yeend, Robyn Loau, Damien Bodie directed by Hamish Downie. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Last Anomaly Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Chris Buick | Posted on: Oct 13, 2024 Directed by: Hamish Downie Written by: Hamish Downie, Adrian Austin, Ross Ozarka Starring: Adam J. Yeend, Robyn Loau, Damien Bodie Heaven or Hell? Given the choice, it’s pretty obvious what most of us would go for. But if your place in a blissful afterlife meant eternal fiery damnation for your soulmate, would you swap places? In writer/director Hamish Downie’s curious animated short The Last Anomaly , this is exactly the conundrum poised to Daniel (Yeend) when he comes face to face with The Entity (Loau). The Entity, it seems, is at a loss because Daniel’s mortal existence has resulted in a rare occurrence where he is “not bad enough for Hell but not good enough for Heaven”. So, lucky Daniel gets to choose for himself, obviously opting for the latter. But things get complicated when he realises that life after life won’t mean a thing without his beloved Joshua (Bodie), who in order to restore the balance would be condemned to the other place . Thus begins a tangle between the two to determine who should go up and who should go...well...the other way. The Last Anomaly is an interesting take on morality, love and the meaning of (after) life, one that’s strengths lie in its unique and distinct presentation which amplifies what is a concise but otherwise simple narrative. Daniel and Joshua’s tale of sacrifice in the name of love itself is fairly cut-and-dry, a straight road of back-and-forthing between the two with no real bumps or turns, thankfully meaning that the film tells its cogent story clearly and soundly from start to finish, but it also means that there isn’t much in the way surprises or intrigues for audiences to enjoy either. In fact, once we’ve arrived at the film’s key plot point, The Last Anomaly doesn’t really take any opportunities to elevate its narrative from there. Again, it doesn’t ever stagnate either, but much like Daniel and Joshua, the film then finds itself in a bit of limbo with no real indication on how to move forward. But a lot of effort and skill has been put into the films imaginative cut-paper, stop-motion delivery which really does work to give this film a boost into something a bit more interesting, animation that is alive enough to bring real life into each scene and fully realise the intention of each design and moment within the film, with the characters equally being full of veritable life and personality that when put together makes it all look really special. Occasional sound sync issues do also pop up once or twice as well, but for the most part, it’s a film that’s delivery is solid and steady from beginning to end. Although its core story might not create any fireworks, The Last Anomaly’s animation is clever enough to add just that little something different to offer up a decent piece of filmmaking. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Chris Buick Short Film, LGBTQ+ < All Reviews Next Film Review >

The Runner film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring Madison Bailey, Colby Cyrus, Andrew Medeiros directed by Andrew Medeiros. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Runner Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Mar 20, 2026 Directed by: Andrew Medeiros Written by: Andrew Medeiros Starring: Madison Bailey, Colby Cyrus, Andrew Medeiros A couple living in a small, quiet, out of the way town, have their peace broken by the arrival of a police detective, who is looking for a fugitive that might have come their way. Samuel (Cyrus) and June (Bailey) are enjoying a restful day on the sofa, quietly reading their books and resting in the silence that surrounds them. It’s snowing outside and there’s a blanket of white lying across the landscape and hanging off the trees, softening the sound further and enhancing the feeling of solitude that their quiet cabin seems to offer. Rolling up to their house, however, is Detective Martin (Medeiros), an out-of-town policeman who is looking for information and wanting to ask questions of the couple. After rapping on the door, Detective Martin is needlessly enigmatic in his introduction, evading basic questions and finding it hard to reveal why he’s at the couple’s home. With a bit of badgering and sustained inquiry, he finally lets out that he’s looking for a fugitive who might be in the area, and we can at last get into the scenario of The Runner properly. Detective Martin is invited inside and eventually gets around to telling the story of The Runner , a woman who embezzled millions of dollars from her clients in California and then killed her husband when he found out about it. Samuel and June listen to the story intently, not recognising the events or story that the detective is telling, until finally he gets around to revealing that this all happened over two years ago. Now there’s new evidence and a new lead to suggest that The Runner might be in the area and so Detective Martin has turned up to see what he can turn up in the small town of Pinewood. At just over seven minutes long, The Runner doesn’t have a lot of time to explain its plot and work through its narrative. It’s a shame then, that time is wasted with bad dialogue and phony characterisation that offers nothing to the story or those telling it. Detective Martin takes an age to get around to the point of his visit and then doesn’t reveal the timeframe of the crime until past the midpoint of the film, stretching an already extremely thin scenario to near breaking point despite the fact that the film is so short. The cinematography, too, is underwhelming and unconsidered, as the snowy background beyond the porch of the house is a blanket whitewash with zero contrast and heightened reflective glare. The focus on Detective Martin is also out as he sits on the chair opposite the couple, who are each in perfect HD focus, and this fuzziness follows him out to the car after he has completed his interview. While writer/director/producer/star, Andrew Medeiros manages to select his shots, fill his frames, and build his narrative fairly well with his direction, he is let down by a nonsense script that brings up more questions than it answers. When the killer is finally revealed, and although I won’t give it away, gee whizz it doesn’t take much to figure out just who The Runner turns out to be, we really have to ask ourselves the question as to why Detective Martin didn’t click right away. Samuel manages to figure it out within the space of a minute, so you would imagine that someone who has been on the case for two years, and has had days to look over the CCTV screenshot of the presumed killer, would be able to make the link, or to know that he might be in danger. There is no tension, no surprise, and no thrill, in this supposed thriller, with the only saving grace being that it is so short that we don’t have to sit through extended scenes of the nothing that is presented to us. The turgid monologue at the end, voiced over a black screen to begin with, is indicative of the horrible scripting throughout the piece, as The Runner tries to philosophise, or soliloquise, or romanticise, or who knows what it is she’s trying to do, as she delivers some sort of killer’s lament to us about her way of life. There is not a lot to recommend The Runner to the audience, and in the end the only running that should really be going on is in the other direction, away from watching another bad short film. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic William Hemingway Digital / DVD Release, Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Big Jay's Day Out film review by UK film critic Matt Trapp. Starring Austin Alexander, Angela Lin, Tanner Struyk directed by Mitch Silva . HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Big Jay's Day Out Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Matt Trapp | Posted on: Feb 24, 2026 Directed by: Mitch Silva Written by: Mitch Silva Starring: Austin Alexander, Angela Lin, Tanner Struyk The growing popularity of alternative media in the 21st century has had a fascinating effect. Truly esoteric discussions about anime, videogames, and fairly obscure movies are deftly navigated by the so-called ‘terminally online’, with new subcultures born and aesthetics named daily. The film follows Jay, described as ‘a man led astray’ who is thousands of dollars in debt, depressed, and developing an app which he believes will “change the world”. For the next 20 minutes, viewers are strapped into an outrageous, exhausting, and sometimes incoherent whirlwind of neon lights and violent gangsters. Mitch Silva’s Big Jay’s Day Out will be an enigma to general audiences everywhere, but something tells me that this won’t be a concern for the filmmaker. Big Jay’s Day Out is first and foremost a ‘vibes-based’ film, the first in a genre which the filmmakers have helpfully identified as ‘inhalantcore’. It’s certainly a satire, comparable to American Psycho by way of Harmony Korine, and it’s a relief that the humour is generally excellent, if not irony-poisoned. There’s more drama in the back half of the short than may be expected, and while the performances generally work, a few too many scenes descend into characters yelling melodramatically. It’s less atmospheric than it could be, and more dialogue heavy than it should be. Austin Alexander’s performance is enjoyable to begin with but it was a shame that he wasn’t given much more to do after the first few minutes. Similarly for Angela Lin who performs a dual role as Evelyn Chen and Not Evelyn Chen, while she makes an intriguing and enigmatic first impression as a modern day manic pixie meets 2020s online goth girl pastiche, her character becomes flattened and fairly dull by the end of the film. The filmmakers have added that this film is considered a ‘rebuild’ in the same vein as Evangelion. They state that Big Jay’s Day Out Remastered must be watched after the original Big Jay’s Day Out preAlpha 0.89 , originally released in 2017. Having watched both of these shorts now, there’s definitely some thematic and stylistic connections between the two, but the original film is not an essential watch to understand the ‘remaster’. It does gesture towards a specific artistic intent from Silva however, giving his short films a knowing interconnectivity, as well being a knowledge check for audiences who are familiar with Evangelion and its sequels. Similarly, the aesthetics of various internet subcultures are employed throughout Big Jay’s Day Out . The result is a visual melting pot of ideas and influences, and it’s undoubtedly unique. However, it would be remiss to ignore that the film’s abrasive sound and editing styles can make it a challenging watch. Big Jay’s Day Out may arguably be described as an exercise in style over substance. Whether or not that’s true will depend on who is watching the film. Undeniable however is the fact that there is a distinct quality in Silva’s filmmaking that certain audiences will particularly resonate with, and it would be an immense shame if this style became watered down and bent into something more recognisable. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Matt Trapp Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Flesh Wanting Blood film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring Ioana dArk directed by Diana Galimzyanova. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Flesh Wanting Blood Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Sep 1, 2025 Directed by: Diana Galimzyanova Written by: N/A Starring: Ioana dArk Whatever your views on AI and its use in the creative sectors, there’s no arguing with the fact that this is the way things are going from now on. From the very start of the creative process, anyone can now use AI to develop ideas from prompts and begin to create their new dream world, whether that be in prose, or lyrics, or music, or art, or any number of different expressive outlets. Far from it just being used to circumvent copyright law, stealing people’s voices for advertising and things like that, AI can be seen as another tool in the artists toolbox, which needs its own skill and investment to master, but which in the right hands can create new pieces of art or entertainment which could never have been achieved given any real-world deficits in the level of the artist’s budget, skill, environment, or equipment. Entirely new worlds can be conjured up for nearly nothing, without the need for a huge production budget and crew, and narratives can be created from thin air, populated by ghosts of characters, who look and sound like the real thing but who are really empty, hollow masks that don’t quite move right. Anything can now be created for any purpose – and yes, we know that 98% of it will be used for advertising and porn – but there’s also the chance, that like here, in Diana Galimzyanova’s video for the track, Flesh Wanting Blood by Ioana dArk, that we’ll also get some creativity along with it that showcases how AI can help to create art. Using the Luma Dream Machine AI, Galimzyanova creates her world of bloody horror to coincide with the music of Ioana dArk, following blood spattered women around and facing off against scarily masked men. The artist herself is cut into the narrative at times, using, at least to start with, what I can only assume is actual video, while the AI world around her tells its own story of dark machinations and demonic charades. Hooded characters, robed strangers, and bloodied brides walk around together in a dreamlike fashion, partaking in a twisted masquerade, as people switch places, morph into others, and disappear into the scenery as though they weren’t there. There’s not what you would call a conventional plot to the music video, though undoubtedly there is meaning to what’s happening on screen. The themes of the video most likely coincide with the themes of Flesh Wanting Blood , although it’s difficult to tell when you’ve no idea what on earth is being sung. The music itself is hard to characterise, it’s hard to know what to even really call it – post-punk? electro-death? misery? – but whatever it is, Galimzyanova seems to get it and is able to direct her AI in exactly the right area to represent it visually to the audience. The track goes on for about five-and-a-half minutes, so for anyone not interested in this genre of music or film, it might be a bit of a slog to get through the music video to the end. However, for everyone else there’s plenty of good imagery and inferred narrative from the characters on screen to sustain your interest, while the matching of the mood to the music really enhances the enjoyment of both, because it is done so well. There’s always, however, the feeling that any AI production is an empty, soulless vacuum, as there’s no real craft or artistry behind the construction of it. There were no costume designers to make the dresses or create the masks, there were no builders or chippies to make the sets to film on, there were no cinematographers or lighting technicians to get the right look for the camera, there was no real hand in anything that got presented to us, and so it leaves us feeling cold and underwhelmed, and even a little bit patronised. That might change as we get more used to it, but in the meantime it’s good to have positive examples, like Flesh Wanting Blood , of AI being used effectively to complement art, and in so doing, becoming art in its own right. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic William Hemingway Digital / DVD Release, Music Video < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Living film review by UK film critic George Wolf. Starring Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp directed by Oliver Hermanus. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Living Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: George Wolf | Posted on: Jan 26, 2023 Directed by: Oliver Hermanus Written by: Kazuo Ishiguro Starring: Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp It shouldn’t take a film such as Living to make us realize what a treasure we have in Bill Nighy. But then it shouldn’t take a grim diagnosis for Rodney Williams to seek true meaning in his life, so maybe Nighy’s long wait for a first Academy Award nomination is somehow cosmically right. In this adaptation of Kurosawa’s 1952 classic Ikiru (To Live) , Nighy earns every bit of that Oscar nod as “Mr. Williams,” the humorless manager of a public works office in 1950s London. Various floors full of buttoned-up civil servants pass on projects to other departments until the papers finally come to rest on one desk or another, with piles always kept as high as possible so co-workers won’t “think you have nothing better to do.” Mr. Williams doesn’t, until a fateful trip to the doctor makes him realize how sad this is. A night out with that rascal Sutherland (Tom Burke) offers some cheap thrills, but it’s the persistence of the local ladies petitioning for a new public playground that gives Mr. Williams the chance to leave a legacy. Nobel prize-winning writer Kazuo Ishiguro adapts Kurosawa (and lands his own Oscar nom) with a script that shaves about 45 minutes off the running time while it adds layers of beauty and sentiment. Mr. Williams’ distance from his son becomes more heartbreaking, while the relationships with his two youngest employees (Alex Sharp and Aimee Lou Wood) are given more arc and resonance. Director Oliver Hermanus replaces the original film’s clinical narration and B&W palette with gentle grace and the splendidly picturesque cinematography of Jamie Ramsay. Outside the office confines, this is a gorgeous London of crisp lines among detailed color, light and shadow, all in orbit around a lead performance of endless humanity. Nighy is just the epitome of wonderful, with every sigh, furrowed brow and slight smile conveying so much about Mr. Williams’ journey to contentment. Nighy’s every moment on screen nearly glows with honesty, and provides the film with a unique and dignified identity. Kurosawa’s take still hits hard, but Living would have been foolish to follow a similar fight plan. These blows may indeed be softer, but don’t think for a second they won’t leave a mark. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic George Wolf Theatrical Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

April film review by UK film critic Jack Salvadori. Starring Ia Sukhitashvili directed by Déa Kulumbegashvili. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS April Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jack Salvadori | Posted on: Sep 8, 2024 Directed by: Déa Kulumbegashvili Written by: Déa Kulumbegashvili Starring: Ia Sukhitashvili With April , Dea Kulumbegashvili brings to the Lido the biggest surprise of the 2024 Venice Film Festival, shocking and dividing the audience. Provocative at its core, April is as radical in style as in its narrative, exploring a week in the life of gynaecologist Nina, who also carries out illegal abortions in rural Georgia. Nina lives an austere and dissatisfied existence, split between giving life in the hospital and taking it whenever it's needed in the countryside, helping young women to gain their lost freedom while risking to lose her own. Apathetic and cold, the only relationships she has are occasional, brief, and squalid encounters with strangers on the street: there is no warmth in her world. With extremely long, constantly oscillating hand-held shots, the film tests the viewers’ limits, also because these enduring takes often depict highly disturbing scenes. Always bearing an intense harshness in every frame, even the non-violent moments express the Georgian director’s uncompromisingness, like in the film’s opening, when a single-take birth scene prompted the audience to sprint out of the press screening in flocks. We want to look away, but the she is in full control of the frame, and hypnotises our curiously doomed gaze. The sound design is equally masterful, allowing Kulumbegashvili to fully engage with what is happening in the off-screen space, and providing an even more immersive, and disquieting, atmosphere, full of pantings, thunders, and the cold tinkling of rain over metal which serve as the film’s chilling soundtrack. April is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, but Kulumbegashvili’s obsessively uneasy and contemplative pictures will leave a mark for anyone that dares to watch it. April won the Special Jury Prize at the 2024 Venice Film Festival. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jack Salvadori Film Festival < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Chocolate Milk film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Danielle Meyer, Jared Pettit, Olivia Dennis, Vince Hobart Smith directed by J.W. Cox. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Chocolate Milk Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Jun 5, 2022 Directed by: J.W. Cox Written by: J.W. Cox Starring: Danielle Meyer, Jared Pettit, Olivia Dennis, Vince Hobart Smith A young woman is obsessed with a wannabe actor and kidnaps him. Deena (Meyer) is a socially awkward woman who has a fixation with a struggling actor named Leo (Pettit) and constantly follows him on social media. One day, she decides to abduct him and bring him to her place, hoping that the two of them will bond. This short dark comedy thriller paints a satirical and disturbing picture regarding obsession, social networking services, desire for fame and mental health. The film begins with a computer screen that shows Leo's social media page and reveals his current status as an actor and celebrity. The narrative then goes on to explore Leo and Deena's lives, revealing Deena's obsession and solitude and Leo's befief that he will eventually become a star, even though his progress so far is not very significant. What follows is the kidnapping, with poor Leo bound to a chair, with Deena expressing her admiration towards him and giving him chocolate milk to drink. Although the situation is an abduction, the conversation between abductor and victim is awkward and humorous and the two of them even become friendly towards each other, turning this film into kind of a love story. Meyer and Pettit deliver entertaining performances. Meyer is obsessed with a person and dedicates pretty much her entire life in pursuing him, ignoring all alse. She obviously has mental issues and is dangerous and she is determined to do anything in order to get what she wants. Pettit dreams of becoming a famous actor and even ignores his father's opininon that it is all a waste of time. The cinematography looks great thanks to Matthew Kennedy and there are some creative lighting techniques. Jack McCarthy provides a score that is sinister and tense and the song by Alsever Lake that is titled Somewhere, Heaven Is on Earth , which is heard during the opening and closing credits, was a fine choice. This film is rather intriguing due to its plot, characters and dialogue and it is an amusing experience and also one that makes the audience think about the effects that social media and hunger for fame can have on people. Viewers will see characters trying to make their dreams a reality, being menacing, being held captive, fearing for their safety...and drinking chocolate milk. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Won't Be Long Now film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring William Nawrocki III, Alyson Nawrocki, Penelope Nawrocki directed by William Nawrocki III. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Won't Be Long Now Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Aug 17, 2025 Directed by: William Nawrocki III Written by: William Nawrocki III Starring: William Nawrocki III, Alyson Nawrocki, Penelope Nawrocki A new father tries to deal with manifestations of the anxiety and paranoia he feels at having to be responsible for a whole new life, descending into madness as he faces up to his responsibilities and his own childhood trauma. In William Nawrocki’s short film, Won’t Be Long Now , he plays the Father, a regular man, somewhere in his early thirties, who has just welcomed a new baby into the family. This life-changing circumstance is now all he can think about, and everything he does is now for the benefit of this new life he and his wife have created. It doesn’t take long, however, for the reality of responsibility to kick in, and soon he is having nightmares, sometimes waking ones, where his daughter is in danger and he can’t do anything to save her. Made almost entirely by Nawrocki himself, taking on many roles including writer, director, cinematographer, editor and star, Won’t Be Long Now was built from the ground up, piece by piece, until everything fit together in the way he envisioned. What started out as a treatment for a three-minute short grew and grew until we finally got the film we have before us today, constructed with short, quick scenes and cut intermittently with thematic visuals. Nawrocki knew that he didn’t have a lot to work with but that seems to have focused him to take what he did have and make the best of it at every turn. Every shot, every lighting choice, every cut, and every sound is carefully chosen and measured for what it can bring to the narrative and Nawrocki brings them all together to create a genuinely unsettling atmosphere around the Father and his small family. When the shadowy visitor starts turning up in the Father’s thoughts, then in the distance, and even in old family home videos, we are caught just like he is, staring in fear at something that haunts us, but which we may never be able to confront or overcome. His fears become a reality, even though nobody else can see them, and they actively terrify character and audience alike as they come to life on the screen. Assisted ably by some truly creepy sounds in Adrianna Krikl’s score, and a rich, vivid grading from colourist Nigel Tadyanehondo, Nawrocki ensures that we get the best out of every scene as we watch the Father slip further and further into madness. He builds his narrative well and keeps the pacing nice and quick throughout, allowing us just enough time to try and see if we can find the horrors for ourselves, but without lingering and making everything too obvious. Rather than opt for jump scares and outright horror, Nawrocki instead let’s things burn and build, throwing in thematic symbols along with the approaching ‘monster’ to round out the threat that the Father feels he is facing. All of this creates a palpable tension which is hard to resist, as it unsettles you and leaves you on the edge of your seat. Won’t Be Long Now is a remarkable achievement for mostly just one man to produce, and it shows in the best light what can be done with small beginnings and humble resources if there is someone behind the project with heart and vision like William Nawrocki. The film takes on some truly dark subject matter and treats it with respect and dignity, using visual language to express feelings which may not easily be expressed otherwise. Nawrocki’s talent as a filmmaker, and as a visual creative, should be applauded in what he has managed to achieve with Won’t Be Long Now , and it can only be hoped that he keeps just as much passion and drive for whatever project he embarks upon next. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic William Hemingway Digital / DVD Release, Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Dear Mum film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring Unknown directed by Elysium Grove. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Dear Mum Film Review average rating is 1 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Jun 2, 2026 Directed by: Elysium Grove Written by: Unknown Starring: Unknown A young boy tries to do something for his mum, but everything that he tries ends in disaster. Dear Mum opens with a young boy getting out of bed with his ugly little scratchy-haired dog companion sticking by his side. Mum is already downstairs working from home on her laptop, with her headphones on and microphone wrapped around her head, unable to offer her son the time and attention that he seems to need. First of all, he tries to grab the pen that his mum has been using, only for her to pull it back off him and tell him, ‘No’. Then he goes out to the garden to get something off one of the bushes, trailing mud back in behind him all over the floor, and then finally he’s into one of the top cupboards where he spills pasta all over the place after reaching too far. All the while his little four-legged friend watches him going to-and-fro, unable to understand, much like us, just what on earth is going on during this fateful morning. At just over a minute-and-a-half long, Dear Mum is trying to tell its story and send its message in a very short space of time. There’s no dialogue to hear of in the short, and Mum’s ‘No’ is only mouthed for us to see while a whiny indie tune repeating the same four words, ‘You Are The Reason’, is played over the top of the images. There are no credits to the film and there’s no real indication as to what the whole thing was for in the first place. Obviously, everything comes good in the end, and the mother figures out what the boy was up to all along, as they hug and share their love for each other. This gives the short film the feeling of an advertisement, with its extremely short runtime and overbearing song playing into this stylising of the video, offering us nothing other than a schmalzy single window into an otherwise unknown set of circumstances. Seemingly aiming for something like the John Lewis Christmas adverts, Dear Mum tells its story and wraps things up within the space of a song, trying to give us all the feels without hinting at anything else in the outside world. Unfortunately, the dizzy heights of John Lewis are never reached, and even though we’re basically expecting some company or product name to be emblazoned across the screen at the end of the film, we’re left with a banal aphorism and a lack of understanding about what it was all for. Dear Mum ends up not being a real film, but an advert for something that isn’t even made clear. It doesn’t have the emotional level of some of the adverts that we see on telly every day, and when it can’t even reach that level, we understand that it’s just a clichéd situation, repeated a million times before, designed to tug at the heart-strings and pull on our base emotions. Really this is a marketing production, which in fairness is well filmed and produced, but which lacks a product or a message. Yes, we should all love and appreciate our mothers, but do we really need an advert to tell us that? Pointless. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic William Hemingway Digital / DVD Release, Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >