HOLE PUNCHED EAR, 8min., USA

Directed by Alan Yammin, Ben Tull

In a dystopian Chicago, a poet, bound by a strange countdown clock, struggles to finish a poem as her sister tries to free her.

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Review by Victoria Angelique

The remarkable, dystopian film HOLE PUNCHED EAR, employs cinematic filmmaking techniques that make the audience long for more from this short narrative. The story begins strong, with heavy rain pouring over a skyscraper that is later revealed to be a prison. Something bad is about to happen, the score and graphics set the stage to the point that if everything turned out okay, it would be a surprise. Fortunately the filmmakers, Alan Yammin and Ben Tull, do not disappoint. 

The futuristic setting is apparent within the first minute of the film, when Zorina’s arm displays a timer counting down that is imbedded into her skin. It’s not quite clear how this is possible, but it feels normal within this universe to the point that writing with a pencil and paper feels out of place. This gives the feeling that Zorina is very much out of her element within the prison as she awaits execution for a crime that in not revealed within the film.

This film could easily be turned into a feature film as the narration and visual cues leave the feeling of Faye desiring justice for her sister. It feels as if more is yet to come, while also being complete as a short film. It gives a cinematic feel with fantastic direction and acting. The beginning to the end makes this film intriguing, peaking curiosity with the desire to explore more of this particular universe.  

Yammin and Tull were able to tackle the premise of leaving the audience wanting more of this story. The set up of the universe is almost at an expert level, with stellar graphics and wardrobe to contrast the old world that Zorina is from despite the fact that she is about to be executed in this futuristic, dystopian society that is hell-bent on controlling people.