★★★ Directed by: #LaurenGill Written by: #DermotDaly, #LaurenGill, #IvanMack Starring: #KathrynHanke, #RichardKay Film Review by: Theo Rintoul Breaking the Silence combines fact and fiction to explore an issue that is particularly relevant in the UK right now: sexual harassment against women. A five-minute scene of a man sitting on a BBC-esque sofa, waiting for the cameras to role as the crew set up microphones and deliver coffee, is accompanied by a narration of female voices. These voices give testimonials of sexual harassment and assault, repeating sentences and overlapping one another, drawing upon instances involving male store managers, husbands and fathers, and even college tutors. The man (Kay) dominates the scene from the start, and close-ups show his smiling face whilst the details of a sexual assault are narrated conversationally. The newsroom scene isn’t heard or explained, nor is the context of Kay’s character known, but his role is clear. He is a man in power; like the store manager; like the college tutor. When the scene breaks free of its silence right at the end, however, it is the female news-presenter (Hanke) who speaks and starts the conversation as the narration pauses. The scene almost feels detached from the narrated voices until that moment, but the overall point isn’t lost. The final text on-screen confirms the testimonials of the females are real, forging a stronger impact on the audience as the acting is led by a truth. The narration of multiple voices, uncomfortably overlapping like a whirlwind of panicky thoughts in one’s head during a bad situation (such as the experiences of the females), has this impact right from the beginning of the film until the very end. It leaves a lingering after-thought, definitely achieving what this film set out to do; it breaks the silence and starts a conversation. Clever shots line up with the spoken words: as one female speaks of her tutor grabbing her breast, the man on-screen grabs the hand of the female crew member. It connects the two; despite the roles of teacher/student and Kay’s character with the crew member being different, the power abuse is the same. This is the strongest part of the film, as it’s that exact moment that the audience gains clarity of the connection between image and spoken word, hitting home their message and leaving an impression. This film was clearly written with a definitive message in mind and created with a passion for furthering the conversation many women are now speaking out about online. It’s important, relevant, and artistic as it utilises the visual space well in combination with faceless voices. Despite the initial confusion with what the role of Kay and Hanke, it became clear when understood in relation to the powerful voices.

★★★★ Directed by: Martin Petty Written by: Martin Petty Starring: Andrew Shire, Joel Alexander, Paul Dogra Film Review by: Jason Knight Eckotrigger are an alternative/electronic duo that consists of vocalist Joel Alexander and instrumentalist Paul Dogra and this is the music video for their track Collide. It is an intense video that evolves around the life of a troubled man. The video begins with a dark quote by Alexander and then introduces its main character, a long-haired, unkempt, bearded man, who is wearing dirty clothing and appears to be going through a very serious crisis. The household he is in is a mess and has limited lighting. He is also a drug addict. The title's song then begins and from there the video keeps cutting between four sequences: the man, a woman dancing in the countryside, the same man, but in what seems to be a happy condition and Alexander and Dogra themselves. It should be mentioned that this is not for the easily-offended. It depicts the main character taking drugs and masturbating while looking at torn pictures of women. The general mood of the video is down beating and has a narrative. It deals with a damaged individual and observes as he performs self-destructive acts like using drugs or destroying his household. The other sequences are more uplifting, showing individuals in better spirits. The woman in the woods occasionally looks into the camera, giving the impression that she is a person from the man's past and a possible cause for his current state. The parts where the man is in a joyful state and is presentable seems to be how he was before. In other words, the woman and the happy man are memories and that the man has. The sequences that show the two members of Eckotrigger looking at the camera, with Alexander singing, appear to be irrelevant. Shire delivers a haunting performance as a broken individual. It is upsetting watching him go out of his mind and joyful seeing him in happier times. The video has very interesting uses of lighting, particularly while the man takes drugs. The colourful and intense lighting highlights the suffering he is going through, creating a great deal of drama. The parts that show Eckotrigger are in black-and-white and look great. The editing is creative and the camera is handheld, which is effective as it films the man battling his personal demons and in a way reveals his tormented state of mind. As for the song itself, the vocals and music make the listening experience quite mesmerizing. The track is powerful and creates a dramatic atmosphere as it accompanies the images. Collide is not a pleasant viewing and certainly not for everyone. Nevertheless, it will most likely make an impression. #JasonKnight

★★ Directed by: Taylor Chien Written by: Taylor Chien Starring: Bianca Haase, Brock O’Hurn, Michelle Randolph, Michael Vlamis Film Review by: Chris Olson The Resort Movie Review Sexy white post-teens get a Hawaiian punch when they go looking for trouble at an abandoned holiday resort. Director Taylor Chien is back in the seat for the first time in 10 years, following 2011’s Cornered, this time with a story he has written about a haunted resort in Hawaii. The plot follows Lex (Bianca Haase) and her three friends who travel to the island, hoping to find out more about the legendary Half-Faced Girl who apparently haunts the now-abandoned building. Curiosity killed the cat and is likely to get these dare devilling friends when weird stuff, obviously, starts to happen and not even their beach bods can help them. Plenty of self-awareness flows through The Resort, with nods of the heads to the horror genre, and even the spoof - with a mention of Scary Movie in one scene. The characters also represent an Instagram generation, of which they mock and imbibe in equal measure. However, none of this astute cognizance seems to result in avoiding any of the mind-numbing tropes that present themselves as the film thunders along, with all the shallow facets of a sub-par Scream sequel. The horrors of the island are only vaguely communicated which stops The Resort from ever becoming anything more than 2-star bargain horror fodder. The cast scrapes their way through a bunch of scenes that look like they were written from an amalgamation of throwaway noughties slashers, and the whole thing just feels patched together as they roam this abandoned building. It’s not unwatchable and The Resort will appeal to fans of lukewarm horrors that are more about suspense than gratuitous violence (of which there is mercifully little). The final third of The Resort is a strobe-lit mess that will have audiences begging for a wrecking ball to come and finish off this godawful setting. None of the characters are memorable and their fates are not something you invest in. It is a simple case of wait and see how they each reach a gritty end whilst you ponder how the costume designer (not currently listed on IMDb) got away with placing all of these professional actors in such skimpy outfits. Given the film was shot on location in Maui, it’s easy to think this was a holiday-tax-write-off kind of deals. I’d report them to the IRS...if I cared. THE RESORT WILL BE RELEASING ON DIGITAL AND ON DEMAND FROM 30th APRIL 2021 #ChrisOlson

★★★ Directed by: #RyuichiHiroki Written by: #NamiKikikawa Starring: #KikoMizuhara, #HonamiSatô Film Review by: Emily Davison Rei (Kiko Mizuhara) helps the woman she has been in love with for years escape her abusive husband and while on the run, a toxic romance blossoms between them. Ride of Die (2021) is a LGBT romance/thriller helmed by Japanese director Ryuichi Hiroki and based on Ching Nakamura’s manga series Gunjō. The film was released on Netflix on the fifteenth April and has received very mixed reviews from fans of the manga and critics alike. Although this critic is largely unfamiliar with the source material, the movie certainly leaves a strong impression with its dark, brutal depictions of violence within the first ten minutes, as well as explicit sexual content which may not be for everyone. Directed with a distinct visual flair, the film presents an intimate and personal slow burn love story, with engrossing camerawork comprised of beautiful cinematography by Tadashi Kuwabara and passionate performances from its dedicated leads. Well crafted sequences range from impressive Steadicam footage of Rei entering an underground club from the street all the way to a quiet bar to long takes of urban and rural Japan as the girls go on the run. The overall look of the film is stunning, with a pleasing pastel colour palette making for a relaxing, inviting watch. The narrative is presented in a non-linear fashion for many parts of the movie with flashbacks to the schooldays of the girls tinted with a nostalgic glow, despite some dark memories being revealed for both. The film is similar to others in regards to its familiar screenplay, with the road trip elements of Thelma and Louise (1991) blended with the queer overtones of Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013), but it has its own distinct identity as well as offering an enriching screenplay. Both performances by the leads are very strong and both share believable chemistry during their spontaneous road trip to evade the law. The writing for them is also very good as they are multifaceted characters with their own backstories and differing personalities, causing them to often clash and result in intensely emotional arguments. Although the pacing can lead to many scenes unfortunately dragging and losing the full impact the contemplative sequences may have had, this also works in the film’s favour by naturally developing the romantic relationship between the girls and their performances are strong enough to compensate for this. Koki Moriyama’s original score is also very effective, with instances of emotional and touching piano tracks played during the film’s most uplifting, optimistic or darkest scenes. The score presents wonderful versatility and is a noteworthy highlight to the overall viewing experience. Ride or Die is a reflective, engrossing film which is beautifully filmed and tells a deeply intimate, compelling story of two girls discovering their sexual identities and feelings for one another. Although the film does sometimes lose its highs due to the slow pacing and its explicit depictions of sex and violence may not be to everyone’s test, this passionate romance ultimately results in a rewarding viewing experience. #EmilyDavison Ride or Die (2021) Trailer:

★★ Directed by: #JermaineBurrows and #JuliePetrusak Written by: #JermaineBurrows and #JuliePetrusak Starring: #MaryPaigeSnell, #GuyVentoliere, #JuliePetrusak Film Review by: Patrick Foley There’s nothing more awkward than seeing a couple screaming at each other in public. Or nothing more interesting, if you’re the nosy type. And let’s be honest, we all are to some extent. That said, if a gun is involved, the situation is less juicy gossip and more terrifying tragedy waiting to happen. Veto is the story of the latter. As their marriage collapses, Gary (Guy Ventoliere) and Mary (Mary Paige Snell) become increasingly aggravated by each other’s presence. As Mary eats out at a restaurant, Gary confronts her - pointing a gun to her head and starts threatening to execute her. As she pleads for her life, Mary finds confidence despite the danger to confront Gary about her own issues with their marriage. And as the tension rises, the pair finally unleash their rage and frustration at one another. Veto is carried on the backs of its two lead actors. Guy Ventoliere and Mary Page Snell’s performances as two sides of a collapsing marriage are raw, ruthless and filled with fury. Gary’s heartbreak over his wife’s infidelity leads believably to his breakdown, and his weakness when he catches himself in the middle of his hostage-taking revenge is harrowingly pathetic. Mary’s righteous anger is on full display – she has little time for Gary’s threats to her life and turns the situation on its head through sheer force of will. Each actor brings a wrath to their character and raises the tension into overdrive as a result. The plot and script however do not meet the standard of the performances. It is a good thing the actors are able to portray rage well, because their characters show little else throughout the film in way of emotion. The 8-minute runtime is largely made up of screaming and grimacing, which the directors seem to believe makes for a deep and powerful examination of their relationship. In execution, it just comes across as soap-opera style melodrama. There is no intricacy to the relationship. And given that we get little detail about exactly why their marriage has collapsed, beyond vague mentions of cheating, it is hard to engage with the situation on much more than a surface level. The film’s theme seems to be focused on resentment and how unspoken issues can result in dramatic outcomes. But without any insight into the relationship prior to the screaming match we see, it is unclear whether the terrifying situation could really have been avoided through the conversations the film implies are lacking. We do not know if the level of rage we see is truly justified, and cannot relate to either side of the shrieking as a result. The film does end on an unexpected and innovative note which will catch audiences by surprise and alters the entire perception of the story. It is a nice twist that is executed creatively and with strong impact. Unfortunately, it feels a little too late to rescue the film which has long since gotten lost inside its own screaming match. Without much of a story for audiences to sink their teeth into, Veto is little more than an exercise for two very good performers to show off their best angry faces in a game of screaming one-upmanship.

★★★★ Directed by: #BryanFogel Starring: #OmarAbdulaziz and #HaticeCengiz Documentary film review by: Brian Penn Freedom of expression is a basic human right largely taken for granted; especially where social media provides an unfettered platform for the communication of ideas. However, Bryan Fogel presents a frightening vision of where such opinions can lead. The Dissident tells of events leading to the murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and the aftermath as Turkish police investigated his death at the Saudi consulate in October 2018. Archive footage is supplemented with interviews featuring those closest to Khashoggi. The narrative speaks for itself in a film shot with a high level of cinematic excellence. The story begins in Montreal as Omar Abdulaziz speaks in hushed tones to an unknown associate on his mobile. They speak of threats, doing illegal things and god’s forgiveness. The obligatory flashback mechanism soon fills the back story. Abdulaziz and Khashoggi had become kindred spirits after the latter fled to the USA. They were both heavily critical of the Saudi regime, and days before his death had developed a campaign to fight strategically organised Twitter warriors. Khashoggi had been a favourite of the Saudi ruling elite but later estranged when he opposed their style of leadership. His dissident status was assured; although railed against the description claiming that dissidents hated their country; he loved Saudi Arabia. Abdulaziz maintains a combative spirit throughout the piece; a faithful lieutenant carrying the torch to keep Khashoggi’s dream alive. A variety of talking heads including journalists, broadcasters and CIA operatives also add depth to the narrative. But it is the recollection of Khashoggi’s fiancée, Hatice Cengiz that is most telling. She recounts how they met; and the joy he felt in finding a true companion. His visit to the Saudi consulate was to obtain papers that would enable them to marry. Whatever machinations might have been at play that day, Khashoggi simply wanted to get married and live his life. It is difficult to process the crushing sadness of a life so abruptly ended. Such is Fogel’s dexterity the film stylistically jumps between documentary, docu-drama and feature film which only heightens the tension. There is an effective use of CGI to illustrate how social media is used to control users. It is an impressive piece that is both compelling and chilling in its stark reality. The simple truth is well represented in a film that sets power against human rights; a sobering thought indeed.

★★★★★ Directed by: Jacob Thomas Pilgaard Written by: Jacob Thomas Pilgaard Starring: Cecilie Elisabeth Bogo Bach, Camilla Bendix, Mads Kruse Film Review by: Jason Knight A young woman is trapped in a terrifying, life-threatening situation. Will she survive? A mass shooting is taking place inside a university. Student Eva (Bach) enters a lecture hall, hoping to hide from the threat. Terrified and desperate, she hides between two rows of seats. As the chaos carries on nearby, she uses her mobile to contact emergency services, a student friend who is hiding in the same university and her mother. The entire narrative takes place inside the lecture hall and takes place in real time. The main focus is the emotional struggles that Eva goes through, as she fears for her life and others, tries to pull herself together in order to survive and interacts with people over the phone. With the exception of a couple of people seen briefly from a distance, Eva is the only person in the film. Although no perpetrators or actual killings are shown, the severity of the situation is clearly present. As Eva remains hidden, the constant sounds of gunfire, screaming and police sirens are heard, providing a clear indication of the devastation that is taking place. The horror of the atrocity is visible on the heroine's face and by the sight of two dead bodies. The whole film consists of three shots. The first and last are two great long shots that capture almost the entire lecture hall from the back. The other is a twenty-minute long take of Eva hiding between the rows. During the long take, the camera is constantly stationary, placed between the rows, at the same level as Eva and films her from a close distance. By utilizing these camera techniques, the filmmakers are making the audience crouch between the seats and hide with the protagonist, much like being in a box underground with Ryan Reynolds in Buried. Bach's award-winning performance is nothing short of fantastic. She is very emotional as an everyday person, who happened to find herself caught in the middle of a hellish situation. Her character is sympathetic and goes through a roller coaster of emotions as she is terror-stricken and cries and breaths heavily as she hopes to survive. Bach is superb as she brings her role to life. The sound effects deserve special mention, as they are very realistic. The sounds of shots being fired, guns being reloaded, people yelling and screaming and emergency sirens make it clear that hell has broken loose and create a very intense atmosphere. This Danish short thriller provides twenty minutes of nail-biting and drama. Aside from the shooting, the film also explores Eva's relationship with her mother and it is rather moving as they have a conversation over the phone and attempt to reconcile. What Incident at School does is show the effects that such heinous acts have on innocent individuals as they try to escape and it does so very vividly. #JasonKnight

★ Directed by: Aaron O'Neill Written by: Aaron O'Neill, Simon Russell Starring: Michael McGarry, Richard J. Hodgen, Michael Cloke Film Review by: Vikas Yadav Aaron O’Neill’s short film, Clann, which the director wrote with Simon Russell, is Game of Thrones meets Vikings. We have nightmares, hallucinations, conflicts, period costumes, period setting, and a small amount of gore. No, there are no hot babes and steamy sex scenes. What it also doesn’t have is clarity. I am sure the filmmakers have very exciting ideas on their minds, but the audience passes judgment based on the final product delivered to them. They don’t see what’s on your mind. They see what’s in front of them on the screen. And what’s on the screen is a convoluted mess that wanders chaotically without any sense of control or direction. As far as your eyes reach, all you grab is self-congratulatory handshakes and not consuming passion. The objective seems to be that of making a film instead of putting your soul into creating one. Filmmaking is an art that is time-consuming and requires a lot of dedication. Everyone sheds their sweat (and sometimes blood) to bring a vision to life. Clann is no different. However, it’s so callously treated that it ultimately comes out devoid of any significant emotion. Technically, the short is all over the place. People lag while walking and talking. We awkwardly cut between a conversation and a group of people engaged in some activity. The sound is poorly mixed, rendering the dialogues unintelligible. I wish all films, irrespective of scale or budget or language, start coming with subtitles in them. The sound oscillates from very loud to very low. The tone of Clann is shambolic. It wants to be serious but also doesn’t want us to take itself seriously. Yes, it’s as confusing as my sentence. Sample this: the main protagonist named Oisin (Michael McGarry) is in a fatal situation. It’s a matter of life and death. The tone suggests we root for him and gasp at the subsequent developments, but the actor delivers his lines in a way that suggests this is a campy, almost a spoof scene not meant to be taken seriously. It doesn’t help that the fights are staged like a kindergarten play with actors killing and falling like toddlers performing on the stage. There may be a good idea, a noble intention at the heart of Clann. But you need adept skills to provide justice to your conceptions.

★★ Directed by #SimonMcQuoid Written by #GregRusso #DaveCallaham #OrenUziel Starring #LewisTan #JessicaMcNamee Film Review by Hope Madden Dude, how dumb is Mortal Kombat? So dumb! But—and this is the important thing—it’s R-rated. And not just regular old R-rated. This third attempt to bring the notorious Midway video game to the big screen is Aussie Rules R-rated. As it should be. The video game inspired by Jean-Claude Van Damme and boasting fights-to-the-death can hardly be done justice with PG-13 movies and animated TV shows. I mean, sure, they did that and made an insane amount of money, but none of it was any good. So, is this any good? No! It’s idiotic. Insufferable, really, until Josh Lawson enters the scene, chained up and cursing a blue streak as Kano. The writing is awful and the acting is worse – except for Lawson, who’s a stitch. But damn is this movie violent! Again, as it should be. Australian director Simon McQuoid has made commercials up to this point. He’s very good at stylized, 90-second, conspicuous drama. He’s also very good with a fight sequence and he’s not shy when it comes to glorying in fatalities. He includes plenty of nods to the most notorious moves from the video game franchise, fresh kill ideas, and even a well-placed Story of Ricky homage. Nice. McQuoid delivers less inspiration when dealing with actors, not that his screenplay (co-written with Dave Callaham and Oren Uziel, based on Ed Boon and John Tobias’s original characters) gave them anything to work with. Lewis Tan (Netflix’s Wu Assassins) is our bland-as-cottage-cheese hero Cole, unmemorable in every way. The film outright wastes Tadanobu Asano. (He’s done a lot of amazing work over his 30+ years in film, but he’ll always be Ichi the Killer’s Kakihara to me.) No one—not Jessica McNamee, Joe Taslim, Mehcad Brooks, Hiroyuki Sanada or anyone else—has much opportunity to create a real character. The arcs are telegraphed, the fight pairings obvious, and a lot of the villainous roles are tossed in and disposed of without fanfare toward the end of Act 2. Why? Because Mortal Kombat is a big, dumb movie. So big and so dumb. And so much gory stupid fun, I just might watch it again. #HopeMadden

★★★★ Written & Directed by: #CharlesWhiteley Starring: #JoBall, #CalChapman, #JohnEwens, #AnthonyOxford, #RufusShaljean Short Film Review by Taryll Baker A Dystopia where people take pills to stay happy and positive. A son named James stops taking his regular dose to realise everything is not as happy as it was advertised. Every now and then there’s a short film that comes along with a really bizarre but somewhat grounded concept. I’ve seen a few of these already this year and it baffles me that these intriguing filmmakers are still working in short-form storytelling. In retrospect, a lot of them work so well as smaller stories, but something as relatable as writer & director Charles Whiteley’s In One’s Right Mind could definitely be expanded upon. In a world where people struggle to find inner peace and true happiness, a drug to induce such effects are widely available. A pill called ‘lucids’ make the user forget the drowsiness of day-to-day life, and bring smiles all around, but at what cost? A strange blending of modern characters (seen in the way they talk and dress) in an old-timey setting (vintage furniture, cars), In One’s Right Mind takes viewers on a trippy journey into the lives of one family; more specifically James (Rufus Shaljean), as he begins to stop taking the ‘happy’ pills that everyone is hooked on. In a visually stunning and gritty few minutes, Whiteley manages to compel and excite the senses with a beautiful mashing of sound and music. His visual approach is nothing short of brilliant, the colours popping off the screen, the framing of every scene, the climatic escalation as the film draws near its close. This is a strangely inviting tale and one that was captured and crafted with fantastic skill. The small cast do a great job of meddling happiness and sadness. Shaljean’s stripped back performance is the more connective of the lot, due to his more reasonable nature. Jo Ball and Cal Chapman play James’ parents, addicted to the lucids and adamant about getting their son back on them as soon as possible. Their twisted portrayal of loving parents sparks the most interest; the final moments of the film has a very disorienting and hurried pace thanks to this duo. Where the film ends up is a little predictable, but to see it explored further in a feature would be a treat. In One’s Right Mind has a high-energy music score by Bobby Horsfield that consistently drives up tension with its dark tones and invigorating rattles of distortion. It builds on itself throughout, until a burst of energy erupts alongside the imagery and leaves a breath of smokey air as the film cuts to black; a sense of release and relief both audibly and visually. The production itself is very nice; the aforementioned old fashioned furniture and scenery add to the weird atmosphere, as does the moody colour grading overtop. Whiteley’s vision is well-focused and this solid little film is a fun and interesting look at a Dystopia where people rely perhaps a little too much on fabricated products to bring joy, rather than the real things all around them. - #TaryllBaker

★★★★ Directed by #NikoleBeckwith Written by #NikoleBeckwith Starring #EdHelms #PattiHarrison Film Review by George Wolf It takes a full two minutes to get a really good feeling about Together Together. Writer/director Nikole Beckwith delivers witty, engaging dialogue from the jump, defining characters and setting the stakes in a beautifully organic manner. This is much more difficult than Beckwith and her two leads make it appear. Matt (Ed Helms) is interviewing Anna (Patti Harrison) to be the surrogate mother who’ll deliver his child. Matt, a forty-something app developer, is single but wants to be a father. 26-year-old Anna needs the money and wouldn’t mind the healthy deposit in the bank of good karma. So if you’re keeping score, the film boasts a fresh premise, crisp writing and likable personalities before you’ve sipped your beverage of choice. And as we follow Matt and Anna from first trimester to labor, Together Together is never less than warm, insightful and lovely. With no romance and only a few laugh out loud moments (most of those delivered by Sufe Bradshaw’s sarcastic medical tech and Julio Torres as an over the top barista), you can’t really call this a rom-com. But even that seems to fit. Just like Matt and Anna, Beckwith (helming her second feature after 2015’s Stockholm, Pennsylvania) is proudly going her own way. Helms adds important layers to his usual nerd persona, slowly revealing more detailed reasons why Matt is choosing to be a single father, and why Anna is challenging his perceptions on nearly everything. Harrison, whose resume sports mainly TV and voice work, delivers a fantastically understated breakout performance. Anna is pleasantly frank and sarcastic, but guarded. She’s hiding some scars, and Harrison reveals them with ease and authenticity. Beckwith fills nearly every frame with a tender empathy that has us pulling for this offbeat pair as a matter of course, making it that much easier for her to reach us. From surrogacy and masculinity to Woody Allen, Friends, and the proper use of tampons, the film drops its insight in ways that are consistently fresh. There’s love and family and funny stuff here, and though none of it is quite the kind we’re used to seeing, all of it is wonderfully real. Together Together is a delivery that somehow feels comfortable and unique, both overdue and right on time. #GeorgeWolf

★★★★ Directed by #DannyMadden Written by #DannyMadden Starring #ShirleyChen #JoseAngeles #WillMadden Film Review by Brandon Thomas Coming-of-age movies are hard. As we move into adulthood, humans tend to forget the confusing swirl of emotions teens experience day-to-day. That loss of awareness can make these kinds of movies feel phony and tone-deaf. With Beast Beast, writer/director Danny Madden crafts an emotionally authentic portrayal of young adults that’s a true standout. Nito (Jose Angeles) is the new kid in town. The always tough move to a new school is softened for him when he meets Krista (Shirley Chen), a self-proclaimed theater brat. Nito is immediately smitten. As Krista and Nito spend more and more time together, Krista’s neighbor, Adam (Will Madden, Danny’s brother), is clumsily trying to get his firearms-centered YouTube channel off the ground. As the pressure from his parents to succeed mounts, Adam begins to lose the grip on his own emotional stability. Produced by Jim Cummings (Thunder Road, The Wolf of Snow Hollow), Beast Beast is a gripping look into the lives of three modern-day young people. While not having the darkly comedic overtones of Cummings’s work, Madden’s film strikes the same level of emotional honesty. Madden seamlessly captures the carefree joy of youth, while also acknowledging the fear, loneliness and confusion that the transition into adulthood can hold. The natural looseness of the cast is where the film truly shines. Chen and Angeles are captivating with their easy, immediate connection. Will Madden’s Adam is much more internalized and isolated. He captures Adam’s directionless existence by playing the character with a mixture of simmering panic and naivete. Beast Beast’s visual aesthetic stays grounded and unassuming. While never fully succumbing to that indie impulse of going entirely handheld, the camerawork stays fluid. It’s the kind of cinematography that doesn’t draw attention to itself until you get to one of those compositions that literally takes your breath away. Similarly, the score starts as a mixture of bells and an organ very much in need of tuning. But as the drama within the film intensifies, the score takes a more sinister turn and comes much more to the forefront. The film’s third act will likely split much of the audience. It’s not particularly easy to sit through, but does feel like the natural progression of the story. Nothing about the plot or character actions feel gratuitous or cheaply played. Fans of indie dramas will find a lot to celebrate in Beast Beast. By focusing so strongly on character, and throwing in a few nice twists and turns, these filmmakers have delivered one of the best films of 2021 so far. #BrandonThomas