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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. About the Film Critic Chris Olson Indie Feature Film, Horror < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Harold & Mary film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Dermot Crowley, Phyllis Logan, Maddie Rice, Simon Manyonda, Jordan Dawes directed by Stephen Gallacher. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Harold & Mary Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Jul 21, 2022 Directed by: Stephen Gallacher Written by: Stephen Gallacher Starring: Dermot Crowley, Phyllis Logan, Maddie Rice, Simon Manyonda, Jordan Dawes A heartbreaking story about an elderly man suffering from a mental disorder. Based on true events, this short drama focuses on an elderly couple, Harold (Crowley) and Mary (Logan), who have lived through a long, happy marriage together and are celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Tragically, things have now changed due to Harold's mental illness and it is having devastating effects on those who love him. Finally, his family decides that the best solution would be to place him in a care home. The narrative offers a dramatic insight into the effects that dementia has on people and what it is like living with a person who suffers from that kind of illness. The disease has significantly damaged Harold, making him antisocial and isolated. Although he still gets to enjoy life, he has trouble remembering, falsely recognises people and events and tends to get angry. Meanwhile, Mary finds it harder and harder to cope with her husband's mental decline and their children Liz (Rice) and Marcus (Dawes) are also very concerned about him. The main focus is the relationship between Harold and Mary and the screenplay reveals that they have lived a happy life together and it is gradually coming to an end due to Harold's terrible misfortune. This film gains a lot from the acting. Crowley delivers a brilliant and emotional performance as a person who is suffering from dementia. Logan is equally great in her role as his wife who cares deeply for him and is devastatingly saddened seeing him disintegrate. As the director of photography, Gareth Munden develops wonderful cinematography and the music by Blair Mowat is melancholic and beautiful. This film is a hard-hitting look into how mental disorders such as dementia affect a person and those around them. It is a tragic story, however it is one that also reveals the joy of having happy memories and the importance of having supportive loved ones. About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Birdeater film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring Mackenzie Fearnley, Shabana Azeez, Ben Hunter directed by JackClark, Jim Weir. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Birdeater Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Jan 9, 2025 Directed by: JackClark, Jim Weir Written by: Jack Clark, Jim Weir Starring: Mackenzie Fearnley, Shabana Azeez, Ben Hunter Birdeater gets off to a slow but promising start. Louie (Mackenzie Fearnley) and Irene (Shabana Azeez) have an unusual relationship. To give more details than that would be to eliminate some of the film’s surprise, so I won’t. Co-writers/co-directors Jack Clark and Jim Weir have a plan for unveiling information as it is most provocative, and I’ll leave it to them to provoke you. Irene is anxious about the couple’s upcoming wedding. Louis is anxious about Irene’s anxiety about the wedding. So, he invites her along on his “box party” — the Australian term for bachelor party. What follows is an unrelentingly awkward, fairly twisted tale of sexual politics, blow up dolls, drunkenness, ketamine, big cat tranquilizers, bonfires, and the nature of consent. It seems important to point out the Wake in Fright movie poster hanging in best man Dylan’s (Ben Hunter) apartment. Like Ted Kotcheff’s unhinged 1971 Outback classic, Birdeater seeks to upset you as it digs into Australian ideas of masculinity. On the whole, it succeeds in that aim—not to the scarring degree of Wake in Fright , but success nonetheless. Louie’s BFFs Dylan—the boisterous, manly troublemaker—and Charlie (Jack Bannister), the Christian whose brought his also-Christian girlfriend (Clementine Anderson), have plans for the event. But Louie has his own plans and he does not want anything to mess with that. Birdeater ’s greatest success is investment in character. These people feel authentic, which is amazing given their behavior. Their relationships feel truthful and you find yourself invested more in what happens to the side characters than the bride and groom. Louie’s plans and his mates’ come to a head, which is where Birdeater explodes into messy, fascinating, unrelated pieces. The surface story of bachelor party debauchery—of traditional masculinity run amuck—and the underlying and far more distressing story of male/female relationships sometimes reflect something insightful. Just as often, they feel slapped together nonsensically, or held together with contrived opportunities for exposition. Recently, Halina Reijn tackled prickly ideas of female sexuality, power, and gender politics with Babygirl . It explored one woman’s seemingly misogynistic choices, but by remaining true to the protagonist’s point of view, the film itself exposes something else. Birdeater paints itself into a corner it can’t figure out how to escape, primarily because, though the male characters throughout the film wonder at Irene’s choices, the men writing and directing the film don’t seem to understand them. Instead, we spend 90 minutes inside a male perspective as they guess at (and, indeed, create) female motivations. This leads inevitably to a climax that can’t help but be unsatisfying. About the Film Critic Hope Madden Theatrical Release, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Freud's Last Session film review by UK film critic Christie Robb. Starring Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Goode directed by Matt Brown. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Freud's Last Session Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Christie Robb | Posted on: Jan 17, 2024 Directed by: Matt Brown Written by: Matt Brown, Mark St. Germain Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Goode Freud’s Last Session imagines the lengthy conversation that might have taken place had a young C.S. Lewis (author of the Chronicles of Narnia ) taken a train down from Oxford to meet up with a dying Sigmund Freud to debate the existence of God. It could have happened. An anonymous Oxford don did apparently chat with Freud toward the end of his life in 1939, right as England was declaring war on Hitler’s Germany. But history didn’t record the identity of the scholar. Freud, the man behind the field of psychoanalysis, is a committed atheist and he’s keen to talk to Lewis (already a published author and famous Christian about town) about the origins and inner workings of a faith he’d come to as an adult. Freud is played by Anthony Hopkins (who once played C.S. Lewis beautifully in 1993’s Shadowlands ). He delivers the layered and nuanced performance you’d expect from someone as talented as Hopkins. Still, it manages to feel that he’s giving you Freud’s greatest hits instead of plumbing the depth of this controversial and legendary figure. (He’s shown chomping a cigar talking about regressing to his oral stage of development and absentmindedly fiddling with a pair of scissors after discussing the fear of castration.) But that’s not Hopkins’ fault. Hopkins finds both the fear and the playfulness sprinkled amidst the theory. Matthew Goode plays Lewis and he is good. He manages to hold his own with Hopkins. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have nearly as much material to work with. He doesn’t expand much about Lewis’s philosophy. Hopkins gets all the best lines. Freud’s Last Session is adapted from a stage play and you can feel the director/co-writer Matt Brown (The Man Who Knew Infinity ) struggling with that legacy. The film is beautifully set, almost a Pinterest board of all things Dark Academia. It’s shot in chiaroscuro—a high contrast technique that sets off a highlighted subject against a dark background. Perfect lighting for weighty discussions about the legacy of war, why bad things happen to good people, and why one’s daughter feels compelled to tell one about her genderbending S&M fantasies. To adapt the material to film, Brown makes use of cutaways to what is happening elsewhere while the men chat—whether that is what is happening on the same day but elsewhere or flashbacks. We see an overburdened Anna Freud (the doctor’s daughter, not his wife, although you’d certainly be forgiven for mistaking her for a spouse given the way the old man treats her) and flashbacks to the two central men’s formative years. However, the cutaways interrupt the flow of the debate. Although sometimes beautiful, they seem like a deflection and distraction from what might have been weightier revelations—like the subject was changed right as we were getting to the good stuff. In the end, the film seems like a beautifully composed thought experiment, but it doesn’t exactly make for a satisfying story. About the Film Critic Christie Robb Theatrical Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Howling Village film review by UK film critic Brandon Thomas. Starring Ayaka Miyoshi, Ryota Bando directed by Takashi Shimizu. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Howling Village Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Brandon Thomas | Posted on: Aug 11, 2021 Directed by: Takashi Shimizu Written by: Daisuke Hosaka, Takashi Shimizu Starring: Ayaka Miyoshi, Ryota Bando Takashi Shimizu is J-horror (Japanese horror) royalty. His Grudge series of films were just as influential and important as Ringu, Dark Water and Pulse . Shimizu has earned his bona fides, and while the Howling Village doesn’t quite reach the heights of his earlier work, it’s still an effective entry into the ghost story realm. Anika (Rinka Otani) and her boyfriend, Yuma (Ryoto Bando), enter the “Howling Village” late at night to witness the mysterious village for themselves. After a harrowing encounter, Anika seemingly ends her own life even though she died on land with water in her lungs. A distraught Yuma disappears into the Howling Village once more, this time with his younger brother at his side. As Yuma’s older sister, Kanata (Ayaka Miyoshi), begins to piece together the mystery around her brothers’ disappearance, the forces around the Howling Village, and Kanata’s family, rise up to stop her. Early on, Howling Village sets the stage for a complicated mystery between Kanata’s family and the village itself. These types of ghost stories love to mix family drama and tradition with the supernatural. The ones that do it well (Hereditary , The Changeling ) do it extremely well, while those at the other end of the spectrum usually end up adding one too many layers that weigh the story down. The film’s mix of mystery and horror would’ve worked better had Shimizu ironed out the details with more precision The narrative becomes contrived and confusing – often bouncing around to different characters and plots without finishing the thought of those individual scenes. Howling Village is a film that wants to comment on prejudice, greed, and how those two things end up coalescing into one heinous act. The script just never quite manages to do anything more than make a superficial comment on either topic. All is not lost though. There are a few successful scares that are right up there with the best of J-horror. Shimizu’s fantastic grip on the tonal dread throughout the film is really the saving grace. Sure, the mystery bogs things down, and some of the rules don’t make a lick of sense, but the super creepy visuals and situations make up for the shortcomings. Howling Village takes some big swings at the story it tries, but ultimately fails, to hit. The major narrative surprises may fall flat, but the film manages to make up some ground through solid scares and atmosphere. About the Film Critic Brandon Thomas Theatrical Release, Digital / DVD Release, Indie Feature Film, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Beguiled Company film review by UK film critic Joe Beck. Starring Chance Gilliam, Jess Tomasko, Devyn Williams, Gabriel Hawk, Megan Thompson directed by Tristan James Jensen. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Beguiled Company Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: Joe Beck | Posted on: Sep 25, 2022 Directed by: Tristan James Jensen Written by: Tristan James Jensen Starring: Chance Gilliam, Jess Tomasko, Devyn Williams, Gabriel Hawk, Megan Thompson Given the current state of the world, it should come as a surprise to nobody that films like ‘Beguiled Company’ are growing in popularity. In fact, over the next few years, as the global economic crisis deepens, films like this will likely only be made more and more. The merits of that for filmmaking could be debated endlessly - on the one hand, you have directors exploring new ideas with the camera, filming in innovative and creative ways. However, the flip side of that is the growth of nihilistic filmmaking, which is so centred on confronting ‘society’ that it never considers one of the fundamentals of storytelling - good characters. That’s exactly the kind of film ‘Beguiled Company’ is - one in which ‘the message’, and its undoubted good points are outweighed by the lack of care handed to its characters and the undirected anger aimed at the system. It’s a film which thinks itself clever in its rebellion but is nothing more than a pot shot, filled with buzzwords and vague messages - the kind of thing ripped off a young, disillusioned teenager's Twitter page. The film follows a group of young twenty-somethings, all looking for a way to beat the system. There’s Brenden (Chance Gilliam), the leader of the group, and the main instigator behind all the group’s mayhem - he’s rude, brash and thoroughly unlikeable - the kind of main character you just want to punch. He lives with Mason (Devyn Williams) and Tino (Gabriel Hawk) - Mason the cautious member of the pack, and the one most concerned with their crimes - he’s by far the most likeable, though Tino also possesses a certain charm. The remaining members of their group are Ilisha (Jess Tomasko), a homeless girl they discover and become friends with, and Sydney (Megan Thompson), who is kind of just there. The film aims to show their heady descent into their ways, as they are chucked about by society, but it’s just an exercise in what happens when the system is upturned. It’s not particularly fun - the group as a collective are obnoxious whenever they leave their house - taking their form of justice on Walmart, the cops, and on an alleged paedophile. They wear masks of Trump, Shrek, and Al Jolson in blackface as they exact revenge on those who get in their way. Its dialogue is so ridden with cliches, you could attach any number of lines to one of those images of the Joker - ‘we’re all slaves to society’; ‘that’s the trap’ and ‘oh sweet I love 9/11’. The film doesn’t know when it’s stepped over the line, and when one character says ‘you’re racist’ to a cop pulling them over for legitimate reasons, then it’s about a mile over it. It’s as though the director Tristan James Jensen exists in his own world, where he’s morally righteous and everyone who dares to disagree is completely wrong and totally out of line. For all Jensen’s flaws on the writing and story side of ‘Beguiled Company’, he at least offsets that through some impressive direction. Jensen’s vision of the fallen world is framed through a creative lens, and it isn’t merely some bleak depiction, filled with turgid blacks and greys. No, he allows colour and light into his vision of a flawed society - in particular, there’s an extended psychedelic sequence which mesmerises and allows Jensen to let his obvious talent sparkle. He’s a director I’d like to see more from, though with a different kind of film and a script not written by himself. If it’s films like ‘Beguiled Company’ which give us some of the next generation of filmmakers then we’re in for a rough few years for debut films. It’s a film made for the Twitter generation, for edge lords high on reading ‘A Clockwork Orange’, who are pretentious in their own way and have disturbed, nihilistically bleak visions of a gritty world in which they are the morally virtuous and those who don’t conform to their rules deserve nothing. Films like this have a place, but only when they are intelligent enough to admit the flaws in their philosophy, 'Beguiled Company' fails to do that. About the Film Critic Joe Beck Indie Feature Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Destroy All Neighbors film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring Jonah Ray, Alex Winter, Thomas Lennon directed by Josh Forbes. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Destroy All Neighbors Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Jan 10, 2024 Directed by: Josh Forbes Written by: Mike Benner, Jared Logan, Charles A. Pieper Starring: Jonah Ray, Alex Winter, Thomas Lennon A film for anyone who squeezes creative passions into the hours outside other responsibilities, refuses the label “hobby” and still never manages to complete anything, Destroy All Neighbors lives that nightmare. William (Jonah Ray) has been working and reworking the final song on his prog-rock album for ages. Years. He’s so close, but then the loudest, most aggressively weird neighbor moves in next door. Vlad (Alex Winter, who also produces) may have charmed William’s longsuffering girlfriend (Kiran Deol), but he’s pushing William to the brink of insanity. Who can get anything done with all that noise?! William is that nonconfrontational nice guy who’s always being taken advantage of. But Vlad has pushed him too far. Which is why it will be so difficult to convince anyone that Vlad accidentally killed and dismembered his own self. But he did! Really! Destroy All Neighbors delivers silly, sloppy horror comedy with the highly relevant message: maybe this is all your own fault. Ray (MST3K) drives the lunacy with an earnest performance. You kind of already know this guy. Hell, he could be you. And that’s the real charm of Destroy All Neighbors. Director Josh Forbes, working from a script by Mike Benner, Jared Logan and Charles A. Pieper, isn’t wagging a finger of judgment. The finger is gently pointed inward. The writing team comes from animation and comedy rather than horror, which may be why the film is so gleefully gory, no meanness in it. Whenever William does find his inner badass, the film makes sure he immediately regrets it. A cameo from Kumail Nanjiani and the supporting goofiness from Lennon and Ryan Kattner as rock and roll has been Caleb Bang Jansen (say the whole name!) keep the tone silly. Destroy All Neighbors is not a great movie. It’s definitely not a great horror movie. But it’s a light, weird, gentle reminder that you may be all that’s holding you back. (And also, loud neighbors kind of suck.) About the Film Critic Hope Madden Digital / DVD Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Renters film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring Dylan Manley, Darragh Boland, Leigh Carroll, Shane O’ Grady directed by Adam Boland. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Renters Film Review average rating is 1 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Dec 22, 2024 Directed by: Adam Boland Written by: Adam Boland Starring: Dylan Manley, Darragh Boland, Leigh Carroll, Shane O’ Grady Two lads renting a house have trouble finding the money to pay this month’s rent. Renters , from writer and director Adam Boland, is one in a series of online videos from him and his pals at Tax Write Off Productions and SixBananasinaKnot. You can find them on YouTube, but honestly, I wouldn’t bother. The videos are all short ten-minutes or less affairs, with very little plot and no amount of production involved across the lot of them. Renters is no different to any of the others, save for its near nine-minute runtime, and its attempt to actually involve its characters a little. Sadly, that’s as far as it goes for good points, and Renters quickly descends into loud swearing at one another whilst drinking heavily throughout. Irish stereotypes are not done any favours when the Jameson comes out and the two main characters without names (Manley and Boland) get to thinking of a way out of their predicament. It’s quickly apparent that what they’re actually renting is one brain-cell between the two of them, and we’re forced to sit through the gamut of world-class stupid ideas before they hit upon the idea of sub-letting. Looking at Renters , it’s as though there’s been no forethought into anything that we see on screen. The characters are just the boys playing themselves, with their dialogue being random and scattered about all over the place, and the scenario making sense to only them in their drink fuelled haze. The camera work is wild and fuzzy, losing focus all the time and always diving about from one character to the other, and the audio wasn’t thought about at all, coming through as tinny and echoey from inside the rooms. The whole thing is a complete mess and it doesn’t make any sense at all. Renters is what happens when anybody with a phone can have a YouTube channel and call themselves filmmakers. It’s fine, and it’s bound to happen, but that doesn’t mean you should pay it any attention. There’s enough of them in their crew to suggest that they could probably do something better if they tried, but from what Renters shows us, it’s that none of them are concerned with getting any better, and that’s part of the appeal for them; just to play drunk and swear in front of the camera for a laugh. I’m sure the team behind Renters will be glad to look back someday over the silly, badly-made videos they shot as teenagers – but for the rest of us, there’s absolutely no need for anyone else to go near it. About the Film Critic William Hemingway Digital / DVD Release, Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

The Dog film review by UK film critic Matt Trapp. Starring Kate Walsh, Justin Amankwah, Nicholas Hope directed by Danielle Baynes. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Dog Film Review average rating is 5 out of 5 Critic: Matt Trapp | Posted on: Oct 14, 2025 Directed by: Danielle Baynes Written by: Danielle Baynes Starring: Kate Walsh, Justin Amankwah, Nicholas Hope A dark, brooding atmosphere underpins Danielle Baynes’ The Dog, a complex character study perfectly realised in a tight 12 minutes. The short follows a vet played excellently by Kate Walsh, who is struggling with the emotional burden of her job and the enormous expectations placed upon her. Baynes confronts a variety of challenging themes head-on in a unique and affecting way, delivering an empathetic and hopeful thesis which is still cognisant of a darker reality. The Dog succeeds in putting the audience into a subjective space where they can empathise wholly with Walsh’s character from the start. It begins with the camera lingering on her face as she stares at her phone, the intense blue light uncomfortably illuminating an unemotional stare as she reads online reviews of her clinic from grieving ex-pet owners. Later, she attempts to regain composure in front of a bathroom sink, and the audience are given the opportunity to peek behind the curtain and see the emotional burden she is carrying entirely unmasked. It’s a testament to Walsh’s performance as well as Baynes’ direction in that so many thoughts and feelings are conveyed in these moments, hidden behind layers of worn down stoicism. A particular stand out is Justin Amankwah as Joe, a trainee vet who exudes warmth and kindness whilst also appearing convincingly hesitant in his role; he embodies an earnest quality that juxtaposes the lead vet’s exhaustion. Perhaps Walsh’s character was once like Joe, and his fate is to be worn down just as she is. Strong editing and sound design choices enhance the subjective experience as the vet is seemingly haunted by the sounds of dogs barking, hinting at some unspoken trauma that overwhelms her when she’s alone with her thoughts. It’s a compelling internal struggle, made all the more significant when externalised later in a scene that brings the underlurking horror to the surface. Baynes presents the veterinary clinic with a sense of unease, tapping into elements from horror to create an eerie and upsetting tone. This is helped in great part thanks to cinematography by Stefan Duscio, who shoots the clinic with strong contrast and shadows. The sound design is deliberately oppressive throughout, giving the clinic a harsh soundscape. The dissonant sounds of buzzing, weeping, and whining fill the clinic halls with a depressing cacophony. The filmmakers have constructed an environment that feels entirely crushing, an exaggeration of a real veterinary clinic perhaps, but one that captures exactly how that environment feels to be in. The film is edited confidently and maintains this carefully constructed sense of atmosphere, even as the tone switches to being more dreamlike in a particular sequence. In this short scene, the lighting switches from the film’s usual colour palette towards colder, ghostly pale blue tones. It’s immediately understandable that something has shifted in the atmosphere when the vet finds herself face to face with the titular dog (voiced by Nicholas Hope). While the clinic felt absent of warmth before, this scene’s use of colour and shadow pushes the short into a much more emotionally chilling place. The effect is mesmerising, appropriately putting the characters and audience in an eerie and vulnerable space for the climax. Baynes is clearly a confident filmmaker, and The Dog is a breathtaking short that viewers will find hard to shake. It’s a testament to the quality of the film that, while one could easily imagine it being expanded into a feature, its length is by no means a hindrance to the storytelling. Baynes presents challenging themes without pulling any punches, delivering a short that points the camera towards the carers in our society, who are so often not afforded the same care that they are expected to give. About the Film Critic Matt Trapp Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

A Wild Life film review by UK film critic Joe Beck. Starring Robert Goodman, Raphael J. Bishop directed by Marie-Andrée Lemaire . HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS A Wild Life Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Joe Beck | Posted on: Mar 21, 2024 Directed by: Marie-Andrée Lemaire Written by: Zachary Goldman Starring: Robert Goodman, Raphael J. Bishop Sometimes it is the most simple things that have the most magical of healing properties. Nature, and time spent in it, be it swathes of rolling green grass, dense woodland, or even the open water or vast expanses of desert plaines, can soothe both the mind and the soul, putting life in perspective and making all our troubles that seemed so overwhelming before dissipate. The company of people, those whom you are able to form a deep connection with can also heal the mind and soul, letting us know that there are those that understand us out there. ‘A Wild Life’ portrays both those things, and though perhaps a little surface level, it is nonetheless beautiful and heartwarming to see the impact both have throughout the film. ‘A Wild Life’ establishes itself as a meditative, reflective film from the outset, with a score that immediately comes across as fitting the mould of thought-provoking and contemplative, while the opening shot is of leaves in a stream, as the water gently washes over them. It is a film about the virtue of life, and living life in nature and with people you connect to, but it is also a film about grief and sadness, and how individual’s move past those things. This is especially true of the old man, Chester (who is played by Robert Goodman with a weary charm and bluntness about him), who we first meet as he looks across a beautiful vista across a lake and brings a gun to his head. Chester has lost purpose in his life and feels as though he lacks any reason to continue with it, and so, with his wife having given in to ‘sadness’, he feels it is his time now to commit suicide. It’s chastening seeing a man having lost hope prepared to give his life away, but his attempted suicide is interrupted when the eager young boy scout Arthur (played by Raphael J. Bishop) comes stumbling into the picture pleading for help. Arthur has become separated from his scout group, and, having injured his knee, seeks the help of Chester to both strap him up and help him find his way. At first Chester is bemused and cold, though across the film he becomes tender and it appears as though he has rediscovered his joy for life once again. As Chester and Arthur sing camp songs and wear their white vests as they clamber through the wilderness we see not a young boy and an old man, but two young boys, both full of adventure and spirit for life, as Arthur, and the woodland that surrounds the two of them, have helped Chester rediscover his spark. Marie-Andrée Lemaire directs the film beautifully, and it is aesthetically beautiful, picking up on the little intricacies of the woods and using the natural lighting, and how it reflects off water, to the film’s advantage. The script, written by Zachary Goldman, is at times a little too obvious, but whilst it perhaps doesn’t go far enough in terms of nuance with its themes, it is nonetheless solid executing its simplicity very well. ‘A Wild Life’ is a life-affirming film, one which maybe doesn’t truly push the boundaries, but is nonetheless joyous to watch, and a reminder that life is much like its title suggests. About the Film Critic Joe Beck Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Plant Life film review by UK film critic Isaac Parkinson. Starring Charlie J. Sinclair, A. Plant directed by Joshua G. R. Fletcher. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Plant Life Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Isaac Parkinson | Posted on: May 23, 2022 Directed by: Joshua G. R. Fletcher Written by: Joshua G. R. Fletcher Starring: Charlie J. Sinclair, A. Plant A relationship drama from a different angle, about the symbols and objects that define our time together. A man moves boxes out of a flat, leaving the softly lit domestic space bare. Clearly once a place of comfort and security, the blank walls and empty floor mark its abandonment. Only he remains there to grieve its new absence, sorting through boxes and packing away what’s left. A tense phone-call with his ex shows that he wants her to come collect things so he can forget about them, and about her. The main totem of this loss is a plant they got together, which he now wants her to care for. He speaks to the plant as though it will speak back, their communication clearly intended to replace that of his previous relationship. The breakdown of communication between him and his ex is partly supplemented by trying to act out the feelings he has towards her. “What are you looking at?” he asks it frustratedly, evidently taking out some misplaced anger. Contrasting this, he then plays guitar for it, expressing some romanticism and love. The acoustics are rich and warm, filling the empty space with something more lively. Interspersed with this relationship are shots of packing. A shot from the perspective of inside a slowly-filling box is particularly neat, our view of him gradually blocked by accumulating items. He then sorts through polaroids he spills on the floor, reflecting on the memories contained within. The process of packing away this life is made to look tender and thoughtful. Further processing the grief over an ended relationship through their conversations, he reminisces with the plant about the start of their relationship. Remembering their first encounter, he describes it like a meet-cute. He protected the plant from the rain with his jacket on their way home, hoping to seem heroic and charming to her. Encased in this story is the hope of their earlier days together, which provides us some insight into his loss. The dramatic parallels then speed up, beginning with a rejection of the plant. Accompanied by quick, intense piano, he casts it out into the rain. In trying to ignore it, he hopes to forget their previous happiness, and therefore his present sadness. Yet he can’t live with that, instead rushing out to retrieve it and returning soaked from the rain. Improvising a bucket to re-pot the plant, he realises he can’t let go of everything. The night fades and warm sunlight once again shines through as he moves out the last of his boxes. The last thing he takes is the plant, and as the door shuts, we understand that sometimes we can leave behind something painful without leaving what was joyful. About the Film Critic Isaac Parkinson Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Areia film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring N/A directed by Gustavo Ribeiro, Ive Machado. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Areia Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: May 28, 2024 Directed by: Gustavo Ribeiro, Ive Machado Written by: Ive Machado Starring: N/A An animated short film from Brazil filled with adventure and fantasy. Inspired by the diary of Jose Francisco Machado, this story follows a lone adventurer on an incredible journey across vast and desolate locations. The adventurer mentioned above is the only person in the film. Dressed in clothing that looks appropriate for a long trek and with the face covered by cloth, preventing determination of gender, he or she seems mysterious. And the eyes are two bright yellow lights. Is this entity even human? Over the course of six-and-a-half minutes, this strange adventurer will travel across landscapes that include a desert and mountains and they will pass through a storm. Is this the Sahara desert? Is it an imaginative location that the story is taking place in? The traveller appears to be on a mission. During the journey, the character will locate a buried chest and a necklace, both of which appear to have otherworldly powers. The protagonist has a map and appears to be searching for these items. Why? Since there are no spoken words (or written ones for that matter), what is going on in the story is not clear, which is not a bad thing, as leaving things open to interpretation can be satisfying. It is the visuals that primarily tell the story and they do so quite effectively. The animation could be described as a blend of computer animation imagery and traditional animation and the result certainly pays off. From start to finish the film is a pleasure to watch, with wonderful colours throughout. Commendations go to Allan Dantas and Alex Ferreira for their fantastic work. The audio is another factor that enhances the viewing experience. Composer Grace Torres develops a score that is adventurous and dynamic and the chanting builds a dramatic atmosphere. Sound designer Ulisses Galleto also does a great job with the sound effects. This film is a short fantasy adventure that takes the viewer on a magical and dangerous journey with striking visuals. For six-and-a-half minutes, this animated short offers a thrilling adventure that is surrounded by mystery. About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film, Animation, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >