★★★ Directed by: #AleksandraCzenczek Written by: Gisele Mauvecin Starring: #GiseleMauvecin, #YuliaRomanova, #DavidWayman, #JamieLeeHill, #GavinCooper Short Film Review by: #ChrisOlson It is a marvelous thing that the #metoo campaign has lit a fire underneath so many filmmakers and indeed creatives. Without storytellers highlighting the gender inequalities of so many societies and giving them enduring staying power, the stories of the victims could be at the mercy of fickle headlines and rapidly changing social media trends. Gisele Mauvecin's short film Gender, directed by Aleksandra Czenczek, explores the activism needed in order to unearth some of the most entrenched issues that exist surrounding gender inequality. Gisele Mauvecin plays Emma, a tireless worker who seems to sacrifice all aspects of her private life to further her career. Ignoring invitations to lunch from colleagues and even distancing herself from her husband (Gavin Cooper), Emma hopes to achieve a senior role in her company that is rarely offered to a woman. When the inevitable happens, Emma's boss Anna (Yulia Romanova), the only female at that level, seems resigned to accept the unfairness of it all until Emma reminds her that there is always something you can do. Struggling to find its feet until the latter half of the #shortfilm, Gender suffers from some stilted dialogue and contrived plot points that make the whole piece feel a little like an educational video on harassment at the workplace. This is, fortunately, rectified once the storyline takes the activism route, vamping up the momentum and getting the audience more engaged. The performances are also better as the piece goes on, with Mauvecin and Romanova having the strongest scene in the movie where they lay bare the situation for their sex with moving clarity. The themes are where the main strength of the movie lies. Opening up a discussion about employment inequalities and the hiring habits which potentially exist huge numbers of companies is a bold ambition. Whilst the ongoing conversation about gender roles has definitely made some good progress, the fundamental issue around childbearing has yet to reach any real culmination. Few companies have firm policies in place to protect the careers of female employees and fewer still have policies to protect those in charge from hiring by convenience. A most commendable shout out to the sound design by Juan Inglesias. The power of the rising score in certain scenes was potent. There was a particularly excellent scene where Anna is working in bed which was made incredibly unnerving by the music. There was also a nice use of the cityscape nearer the end of the movie which was aesthetically pleasing. Whilst improvements to the fundamentals of #filmmaking can definitely be found, Gender is a worthwhile short film that has a subtle tenacity. Gisele Mauvecin marks herself as a bold storyteller and with the right cast and crew, could create something more powerful and provoking.

★★★★ Directed by: #IanStewartFowler Starring: #PatrickDGreen, #LindsaeKlein Indie Film Review by: #TomGriffiths Ian Stewart Fowler writes and directs Crazy Right, a weird and compelling story revolving around Paul (Patrick D. Green), a grieving alcoholic suffering from a state of delusion, who is struggling to remember the events leading to him losing his wife, Iris (Lindsae Klein). Straight from the swirling opening shot, Fowler effectively uses long takes that slow the pace to build a really unnerved and questioning atmosphere, allowing the house to almost feel like a character in itself. As the audience’s eyes are guided through each event or conversation, Nathan Coltrane’s cinematography allows you to absorb every detail and build a world accompanied with a story both inside and outside of the frame through clever compositions and the film also benefits from its impressive sound design and script. Much like the rest of the film, Crazy Right’s script is well-crafted and makes the audience constantly engage with it - asking questions scene by scene as this story unfolds gracefully throughout. The performances that Fowler is able to conjure throughout are strong, with Patrick D. Green being a lovely stand-out. He does a tremendous job at leading the film, embodying a troubled essence that screams for help from somebody despite that fact that the person who needs to help him the most is himself. Fowler directs Crazy Right with a sense of the unconventional and difference with an air of confidence that reassures the audience to stay with his vision until the very end. Despite all of the positive aspects of the film, it does have a couple of minor missteps throughout. An example of this is a particular sequence in the middle of the story that unfortunately feels completely out of place, especially within the colour grade which makes the sequence (albeit a very short one) almost the aesthetical standard of a student production. In regards to the script, which is generally very good, it does stumble sometimes with its dialogue between Paul and Iris which unfortunately has a slight knock-on effect on the actor’s performances. The pace of the edit lapsed occasionally in the first half of the second act which was deflating considering the strong first act of the film. However, although these flaws do exist, Crazy Right is quick to correct them and get back on track. Overall, Ian Stewart Fowler’s Crazy Right is an interesting, bold and compelling psychological character study that delves into one man’s loneliness, grievance and mental health that is definitely worth your time. The showcase of powerful performances inside interesting shot compositions allows the audience to remain truly engrossed whilst Fowler explores Paul’s psychology on a personal and in-depth level that is very hard to come by. It’s grounded yet surreal, practical yet ambitious and ultimately is an impressive feat of independent filmmaking.

★★★★ Directed by: #StevenCapleJr Written by: #SylvesterStallone #CheoHodariCoker #RyanCoogler Starring: #MichaelBJordan #SylvesterStallone #TessaThompson Film Review by: #BradyClark ‘You don’t think you got your validation?’ Creed is quizzed as he considers taking on the most dangerous fight of his career. A franchise plenty could say wasn’t particularly in need of a continuation after Stallone hung up his gloves proves its worth again – Creed II is every bit as enjoyable as its predecessor and one of the strongest films of 2018. Michael B Jordan has his validation as he shows he’s not a one-hit wonder. After a little confusion as to whether Ryan Coogler would return to helm, and the revised confirmation that Stallone would take over, the inexperienced Steven Caple Jr. was eventually confirmed as director and this will go down as a success for his first cinematic release. Beginning with Adonis Creed (Jordan) no longer living in his father Apollo’s shadow, now a successful boxer with six wins under his belt, the sequel wastes no time getting back into the fight. Under the tutelage of Rocky Balboa (masterfully played by Stallone once more), Creed is the new heavyweight champion of the world, though many are suggesting he has shied away from a truly challenging fight. Cue the return of the Dragos in the form of Ivan’s son Viktor (Florian Munteanu) – a monster contender who towers over Creed and has shoulders wider than the ring. The premise is strong and continues to find a solid balance between the legacy of the Rocky series as well as introducing stories and characters that will no doubt eventually stand more separate. But for now, the triple threat of Jordan, Stallone and Thompson leading the film in their own intelligently measured ways gives Creed II excellent emotional depth. In some places there is a little too much reliance on cheesy dialogue, which seems to have been added because that is what is expected of the boxing film genre. Much of this is in the form of the Dragos presence, which is pretty much the only plot element the film doesn’t get entirely right. Despite the history of Rocky, Ivan and the Creeds, there seems to be a misplaced focus on the Dragos’ ego and their estrangement from family and country, in particular, Viktor’s mother, who abandoned him after the shame Ivan’s loss brought them. When it came to it, there was little relevance to this and the story may have been better suited addressing Rocky and Ivan’s rivalry in more depth. Whilst Creed seemed to focus on the ego of Adonis, its successor explores his anger, particularly over his father’s needless death, and how to overcome this in order to reach a wiser and intelligent state. It’s a natural development that serves the plot well, and prevents us from watching the same storyline we’ve seen many times before. And whilst the structure and progression of the film is fairly standardised, the strength of the leading cast and well executed ring scenes forgive the predictability. Creed’s mentor relationship with Rocky and settling romance with Bianca are very heart-warming, and lead our desire for a third film. A powerfully accurate representation of human complexity, rather than being just another boxing film, Creed II perhaps doesn’t have the same level of grit and fragility as the first, but it is a worthy sequel that truly enables a simple spin-off to develop into a successful franchise of its own worth.

★★★★ Directed by: Ren Thackham Written by: #RenThackham and #GordonSouthern Starring: #GordonSouthern, #ShereeZellner, #MalBailey Short Film Review by: #ChrisOlson Theatrical and bursting with energy, Ren Thackham and Gordon Southern's The Skydiver & The Scarecrow short film is a show stopping triumph for it's combination of musical theatre and narrated cinema. Few other independent filmmakers pull out this many stops and even fewer achieve as many grins and guffaws from their viewers. Telling the story (written by Gordon Southern) of The Skydiver (Sheree Zellner) who is saved from a catastrophic fall by a fortunately placed Scarecrow (Mal Bailey), and their ultimately tragic experience through fame, the short film delivers its tale through a theatre production, with audience in tow, as well as rhyming narration from Southern himself. Imagine if Moulin Rouge had been directed by Wes Anderson and you somewhere in the right direction. Having witnessed director Ren Thackham split my side numerous times with her short film Round Trip, I was eager to see what else her filmography offers. And whilst The Skydiver & The Scarecrow does not quite achieve the same level of character comedy as Round Trip it is equally as intelligent and funny. The most humorous part of this short is seeing the elaborate reactions of the audience members which ranges from euphoric glee to heart wrenching anguish and can do so in a moment's notice. This cemented the farcical tone of the piece brilliantly. The central performances from Zellner and Bailey are excellent, journeying through a memorable array of silent cinema techniques and physical presence to enhance their characters. As mentioned there was not enough focus to elevate them to the iconic status of Ned and Constable Rose, but overall they were engaging and suited the short’s wacky vibe. From a filmmaking perspective I hugely immersed myself into the offbeat rhythm of The Skydiver & The Scarecrow. So much of the film is thoughtfully crafted and pieced together. From the original score by Michael Klubertanz, which was jovial and foreboding as needed, to the imaginative set pieces of the show which flowed seamlessly and with all the vigour you would ask of a Broadway show. What was so encouraging to see in this, my second Thackham cinematic experience, was that she was not afraid to layer her film. This could so easily have been a great farcical comedy with a nippy pace and plenty of gags, but the film throws in some darker moments and harrowing sequences. It's done subtly so as not to derail the whole thing but enough that the audience can't help but feel unsettled by the plot and the way it develops. Masterfully crafted. Watch the entire film below. Or watch the official movie trailer below. #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #ChrisOlson #Comedy #Theatre #RenThackham #GordonSouthern #ShereeZellner #MalBailey #AustralianCinema

★★★★ Directed by #MamoruHosoda Written by #MamoruHosoda Starring #HaruKoruki #MokaKamishiraishi Film Review by #BrandonThomas Confession: I’ve never seen an entire Japanese animated film. Spirited Away? Nope. Howl’s Moving Castle? Sorry. Akira? Not even a single frame. I don’t have any kind of unreasonable hatred for this type of film, but I’ve never had much interest either. Thankfully, Mirai was a nice introduction for this anime novice. Kun is a typical toddler. He enjoys playing with his toys, looking at books, and being the center of attention to his mom and dad. That changes when his baby sister, Mirai, is brought home. Confused by the changes happening around him, Kun retreats to a world where he is able to meet family members at different periods of their lives. What struck me first about Mamoru Hosoda's Mirai is how the film doesn’t shy away from letting Kun behave like a real kid. He’s selfish, loud and cannot control his emotions. He’s not the easiest protagonist to like at first. The delightful part is seeing Kun grow, and learn to put these bad behaviors to bed. Mirai is interested in looking at how difficult it is to be a family. It’s tough for parents to bring home another baby when they already have one at home. Cleaning still needs to be done, dinner still needs cooking, life still happens… and that can cause friction. Likewise, it’s hard to be a kid in this kind of dynamic. One minute, you’re the center of mom and dad’s universe, and the next – you’re not. Kun’s travels through time via the garden never feel like cutesy spectacle, as each of his meetings is rooted in character. Kun learns about empathy, and that his own parents struggled with things when they were younger. By becoming more in touch with previous generations, Kun is able to fully realize his place in his own family. Emotional yes, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had with Mirai. Kun finds himself turned into a half-boy half-dog at one point, and takes an exciting motorcycle ride with his great-grandfather at another. There’s a joyfulness to Kun’s interactions with this fantastical world that’s perfectly childlike. Mirai might lack the belly laughs that accompany a Pixar movie, but the message is just as potent. Once the credits start to roll, that message is what sticks with us.

★★★★ Directed by: #RahulNath Written by: #RahulNath, #KshitijSalve Starring: #AmitSial, #DattaMore, #SaraPatkar, #LuckieShaw Film Review by: #JackBottomley Sometimes the best films are those that slowly unfold and hold back their intention until the right time and the best examples of these works are often found in horror tales. In fact, with films like Hereditary and Suspiria finding an audience lately, it seems that many filmmakers are relishing telling more methodical stories of slowly escalating terror and fears in a society that often favours cheap, fast, thrills. Some of the very best films of this ilk happen to be emerging too from the fertile grounds of the international market. Years ago, such diverse voices were being overpowered but it seems the reach of cinema is extending more than ever before and so too is the variety of stories being relayed. So as some genres are being revitalised by this global power, we are seeing some very interesting works and artists emerge. Off the back of films like Let The Right One In, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night and Under the Shadow, comes many a fresh take on different designations of horror and Rahul Nath’s new short film Monster sets strong foundations for another. Excitingly suggesting this with a “Part I” sub-heading, Monster is a film that, despite only being 11 minutes in length, has no fear taking its time to unveil its identity and, when it does, the revelation is satisfying and effective. The film tells the story of a father and his young daughter that bond over sinister plans, with just one unlucky man being witness to them. To talk more about what goes down would be to take away from the film’s carefully constructed pace and telling of Rahul Nath and Kshitij Salve’s story, which is credited as being inspired by Christopher Kai’s short story “The Violinist”. From the start, this film is less concerned with full-blooded scares, more than it is with an uncomfortably realistic and – for some time – ambiguous atmosphere. The moment you see the adult and the girl, you know something unsettling is afoot but your mind runs wild questioning just what that is and this central relationship is well conveyed by the terrific leads. The music by Lai adds further layers of unease, as does the socially realistic backdrop it is all taking place in, captured brilliantly by director of photography Yuvraj Jadeja (assistant DOP Sameer). True, the final cut-scene adds a little bit of a disruptive effect to the flow of the plot and the third character onscreen lacks some focus but Monster’s writing and ambitions to tell a slow build story shine through. The end leaves things undeniably open for more to follow but altogether Monster is a short that comes from a quality filmmaker who is happy to build his story carefully, thoughtfully and leave the audience thinking and questioning all the way. Great stuff, that I hope we see more of.

★★★ Written and Directed by #LaiNorNGAN Indie Film Review by #HannahSayer “The zealous and strong faith of the Chinese is a heavenly gift” St. Joseph Freinademetz, 1852-1908 As writer and director of the catholic musical St. Joseph Freinademetz – The First Saint to Ever Serve in Hong Kong, Lai Nor NGAN has had a career in choreographing performances for various religious and evangelistic events. Her new film sees the life of Joseph Freinedemetz brought to life in a dramatic new way, where she hones in on her admiration and love for bringing evangelistic stories to life. The film begins with a prelude which highlights some background to Father Joseph and his faith and how he evangelised in China for 30 years. The structure of the film is split into parts as we follow his journey from Austria to China, as he leaves his family and his home behind to help others in the 1800s. With event cinema and filmed productions becoming popular with cinema audiences, St. Joseph Freinademetz – The First Saint to Ever Serve in Hong Kong captures many aspects which will appeal to many. The movement, dance and musical elements ensure the production is more lighthearted and juxtaposes the more heavy religious aspects. The production is simply staged yet effective as it allows for the viewer’s focus to be captured by the performances and the intensity of the music. The use of video in the background is another way in which the production combines and blends the two mediums of film and theatre. The backdrop to the history unfolding on stage is presented in an immersive and visually exciting way. The score which accompanies the dramatic action carries emotional weight and adds poignancy to many scenes, especially the scene in which he leaves his hometown and his family behind him to help others. It is surprising for such an ambitious production that the number of members of the crew had no prior experience in filmmaking. This includes the Producer, the Director and all the actors. St. Joseph Freinademetz – The First Saint to Ever Serve in Hong Kong is a film ultimately about the Catholic faith and the life and history of the first Saint to ever serve in Hong Kong, and its hefty religious bearing in China is apparent, yet many will be able to identify with this story and find things to enjoy in this production. Watch the official movie trailer for St. Joseph Freinademetz – The First Saint to Ever Serve in Hong Kong below.

★★★★★ Directed by: #DominicBurgess Written by: Dominic Burgess Starring: #AlfredMolina, Dominic Burgess, #HarleyJaneKozak Short Film Review by: #ChrisOlson The five stages of grief get hilariously combined with the baffling stages of fanboying in this dark comedy from #filmmaker Dominic Burgess. Sam Did It is a riotously funny short film that shows the comic side of celebrity mortality. Burgess plays the titular Sam, whose shift in the morgue is thrown into equal parts joy and tragedy when he finally gets to meet his favourite celebrity (Alfred Molina), who is dead on his trolley. Pushing through the different stages of grief, Sam still finds time and the frame of mind to declare his devotion to the legendary actor. He does this by hysterically shouting the names of films which Molina has appeared in or taking selfies with the corpse. As the autopsy approaches, however, one more shocking surprise is in store for our hero. Painfully funny and containing a terrific comedy turn from Burgess, Sam Did It could very well be the indie comedy of the year. It has superb timing, coping especially well with the dramatic landscape of Sam's emotions, and the high production value makes this a very appealing watch for audiences. When comedy writing is done to this level viewers should be paying special attention, especially as this is Burgess’ directorial debut (having accumulated an impressive acting filmography). Skittish comedy can sometimes have a limited longevity and appeal, leaving the #shortfilm feeling more like a missing piece from a bigger story. With Sam Did It, the nature of the plot engenders a quick fire approach, which is then intelligently complemented by the sharp editing and boisterous sound design. The frenetic behavior of Sam is perfectly in tone with the story's connotations of celebrity devotion and the fickleness of these types of “relationships”. That being said, Burgess knows when to break convention by throwing in plenty of swears which punctuate the glossy, surreal veneer and assuming a more #NickFrost / #SimonPegg vibe. The gags are great and Burgess tears up the screen with a beautifully pitched performance. Entering the potentially shallow arena of fame films and leaning too hard on a cameo could have been a recipe for disaster but Burgess sidesteps this by making his brilliant comedic character the focal point. It's a role that will touch audiences in all the right places and get them pondering how they would react meeting someone as legendary as Alfred Molina. I mean, come on!! Spider-Man 2! An Education! Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie. *Swoon. Watch the official movie trailer for Sam Did It below...

★★ Directed by #DiederikVanRooijen Written by #BrianSieve Starring: #ShayMitchell #StanaKatic #KirbyJohnson Film Review: #HopeMadden Do you ever watch a movie and wonder how it got that elusive green light? I just did. The Possession of Hannah Grace is not a terrible movie. It’s not a provocative movie, not a scary movie, not a gory movie, not an interesting movie. It’s just not a movie you’ll be able to keep straight a few weeks after you see it. You’ll be combining what few moments you recall with other movies. You’ll be wondering, was that Hannah Grace, or was it The Last Exorcism? Did that happen in Hannah Grace or in The Corpse of Anna Fritz? Or maybe in The Autopsy of Jane Doe? And then you’ll just forget this movie entirely. It’s been 20 minutes for me and I’m already struggling to recall the bland details. In a nutshell, Dutch filmmaker Diederik Van Rooijen’s first English language film follows troubled ex-cop Megan (Shay Mitchell) on her first days in her new routine: nighttime morgue attendant followed by an early morning AA meeting with sponsor Lisa (Stana Katic). But on Night #2, things go funny as the corpse of a mutilated, burned and inexplicably naked young woman is brought in. Hannah Grace (Kirby Johnson) is not your garden variety naked, contorted, burned corpse, though. How do you cast this, exactly? “Hey, how would you like to play the title role in my new movie? You will be nude for 90 minutes and you have exactly no lines. You in?” The jump scare morgue marathon amounts to a long and very tortured metaphor about addiction. Kudos to Van Rooijen and writer Brian Sieve for setting you up for one of two clichéd endings, and then sidestepping both. Too bad they sidestep clichéd endings in favor of nothing at all. That’s about what you can expect from Hannah: 85 minutes of not too much—not much point, very little action, not a lot of scares and even fewer answers. But it is indeed a horror film that could be completed with three total locations and a cast of about 10, so, you know, why not go ahead and make it?

★★★★★ Directed by #ChangDongLee Written by #JungMiOh #ChangDongLee Starring #AhInYoo #StevenYeun #JongSeoJeon Film Review by #BrandonThomas Films like M, Vertigo and Chinatown have spent decades taking audiences on twisty narrative rides. These classic mysteries raise thrilling questions, and payoff with satisfying answers. But what if a great mystery wasn’t at all concerned with answering the questions it raised? Chang-dong Lee's Burning is more interested in the journey than it is the destination. Jong-Su (Ah-In Yoo) spends his days doing odd jobs and taking care of his family’s dilapidated farm on the outskirts of town. A chance encounter brings Hae-mi (Jong-seo Jeon), a childhood neighbor, back into his life. Through Hae-mi, Jong-Su also meets Ben (Steven Yeun of The Walking Dead), a wealthy, good-looking and mysterious young man. While having drinks one evening, Ben confides to Jong-Su that he occasionally enjoys burning abandoned greenhouses. Jong-Su begins to think that burning greenhouses isn’t Ben’s only secret. Burning unravels slowly. Two and a half hours seems daunting at first glance, but the twinge of unease hanging over the film keeps you involved the entire time. There’s a sense of dread that is hard to pinpoint, but is also intoxicating. The film comes alive through the character work. Jong-Su is an open book. He’s miserable, lonely, disappointed and bored. And we get to see it all. He tells Hae-mi and Ben that he’s a writer, but he’s never actually shown writing. He spends hours working his monotonous jobs and pretending to be invested in taking care of the family farm. Jong-Su is a phony, and Ben sees that immediately. Hae-mi and Ben, on the other hand, are complete enigmas to Jong-Su and the audience. Hae-mi tells Jong-Su stories from their childhood that he doesn’t remember, and eventually finds out aren’t true. Ben’s wealth, job and true motivation are complete mysteries. Knowing next to nothing about these two people that he so admires frustrates Jong-Su to the point of obsession. For nearly 20 years, South Korean cinema has cemented itself as the industry to beat, creatively. Burning is absolutely no exception. The film owes more to Memories of Murder than it does Oldboy, slowly oozing into your psyche with its methodical and unconventional approach. It’s easy to be frustrated by Burning as the credits start to role. It offers zero easy answers, and even refuses to acknowledge Jong-Su as an unreliable narrator. By defying genre conventions and expectations, Burning provides an alternative mystery that pops with just as much excitement. Burning burns ever so bright.

★★★★ Directed by #MorganCapps #JilannSpitzmiller Written by #MorganCapps #JilannSpitzmiller #ChristinaProctor Film Review by #RachelWillis If you've never heard of Meow Wolf, an 88-minute documentary about their beginnings may seem pointless, but I promise it's worth it. By the time the credits roll, you'll be looking into the price of plane tickets to Santa Fe. Santa Fe, New Mexico is one of the world's most vibrant arts centers. Home to hundreds of galleries and dozens of museums, it's known worldwide for its art markets, events and performances. And it's also home to Meow Wolf, an art collective comprising a handful of anarchistic artists who saw too much bourgeois capitalism in the local art scene. Seeking to break away from the idea of art as commodity, these creative individuals banded together to create something new, unique and entirely collaborative. Using animations, archival footage and interviews with founding members of the collective, directors Jilann Spitzmiller and Morgan Capps create a visually engaging documentary. It would have to be to capture the spirit and brilliance of the art and artists behind Meow Wolf. The major theme of the film, which is the major dilemma for Meow Wolf, is maintaining artistic integrity while creating a marketable product. From the very beginning of Meow Wolf's inception, most of the group's members were opposed to anyone trying to impose too much order into the creation process. Spitzmiller and Capps document the bitter fights, the fissions within the group, and ultimately, the success when they manage to work together to find common ground. With a collective, each member is involved in the creation process. Each member has a say, and each person contributes to the final product. Documenting a few of Meow Wolf's early successes, the film culminates with their most ambitious endeavor: the House of Eternal Return. A 20,000 square feet interactive, immersive art installation, it's one of the most incomparable and wondrous projects you'll have the pleasure of viewing from conception to completion onscreen. That George R.R. Martin of Game of Thrones fame helped fund the project only adds to its charm. Watching Meow Wolf create ambitious, quirky projects is like watching a great band write game-changing songs. There are tense moments, fights and losses, but when things come together you'll come as close as one can to true magic.

★★★ Directed by: #HarryBoast Written by: #PhilipBoast Starring: #GrantRussell, #ChloeAddiscott Film Review by: #DarrenTilby An ambitious but deeply flawed production—The Hollow World constantly battles against its own narrative aspirations; losing more often than it wins. A Starling-like swarm of ever-changing lights swirl through space before arriving on Earth. Explosions erupt around the world, power outages ensue en masse and the Earth is consumed by darkness. Aboard the ISS, a hull breach forces astronaut Alexander ‘Xander’ Pine to jettison his escape pod; crash landing into the sea off the coast of Wales. At the same time, Kyla Burn wakes in a hospital bed unable to remember who she is or how she got there. Both are apparently unaware of the events which have unfolded. The first thing you’ll notice is the characters’ responses to what is potentially the end of civilisation, are underplayed and unconvincing. Quite how this has happened isn't clear. It's not that they're poor actors; on the contrary, both Russell and Addiscott prove themselves more than capable of tackling their respective roles, and both display a real aptitude for delivering lines in a natural and genuine manner. I think instead what may be happening is a case of the actors suffering from a weak script – which rarely seems to flow smoothly – and the odd lapse in direction. And again, director Harry Boast clearly knows his stuff, but there are moments where his direction seems to slip in quality; allowing for these often baffling and occasionally cringe-worthy moments. The narrative suffers from a rather different problem. Writer Philip Boast is clearly a man of great intent, and his intention here is to tell a science-fiction story with some very complicated ideas. And, to his credit, the film does have some really interesting themes going on: subjects like grief, regret and second chances are explored amidst the usual zombie apocalypse stuff and the story kept me guessing right until the end. Not something I usually find with films these days. It's a shame then that these opportunities are largely squandered by inconsistency and incoherence. Clunky editing creates a very real sense of distortion here. And small oddities like a character suddenly appearing wearing different clothes we never see them acquire; or going from seemingly knowing nothing about the zombies to behaving as though they’ve always known in the very next scene all add to the confusion. Ultimately, this leads to the finale feeling a little muddied and flat. One thing that never falters, however, is Harry Boast's excellent cinematography. Sweeping landscapes, lingering close-ups and action shots are all handled with real finesse and do a great job of grounding us in the characters’ situation. Humour is also solid throughout, and whilst there are no laugh-out-loud moments, the sections of humour that are present are understated moments of joy. The Hollow World is a film with some really thought-provoking ideas. Sadly, most are obfuscated by self-contradiction and narrative irregularities. However, it’s always best to attempt something ambitious and different and fall short than it is too lazily reprocess the same old thing; that’s what has happened here. In spite of its issues, there’s a lot to like in this film; I’d recommend a couple of viewings to get the most out of it.