USA

Film Review: GEORGE, 7min, USA, Documentary

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Played at the April 2017 LA FEEDBACK Film Festival.

MOVIE POSTERGEORGE, 7min, USA, Documentary
Directed by Mary Gerretsen

A short profile documentary about a man’s life and journey through love, loss and illness.

Review by Kierston Drier:

Directed by Mary Gerresten, George is nothing short of delightful. It is the story of the complex tapestry of one man’s life through love, loss and grief. George, our hero, is young at heart, vibrant, poetic, witty and utterly charming. A familiar character to anyone who has ever had a favorite uncle or grandfather.

Without spoiling the emotional rollercoaster, for a film under eight minutes long it is hard not to cry when it ends. Not because George’s life is unbearably tragic- but because in the short time the film takes, you fall in love with man. You fall for his spirit, his highs and his lows. You fall, hook, line and sinker, for his heartfelt connection with his wife. You slide head over heels for the clear love and devotion he has for his family. And you are sad when the credits roll. Because you already miss him.

What sparkles about this film, is it’s amazing ability to straddle comedy, tragedy and poignancy without feeling condensed or rushed. The piece flows naturally, and absorbs the viewer so thoroughly, that the film feels shorter than it is.

A beautiful piece of cinematic storytelling, watch George. It will remind you to never take life too seriously and that aging is a privilege denied to many.

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Film Review: HAVE A LITTLE FAITH, 12min, USA, Comedy

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Played at the April 2017 LA FEEDBACK Film Festival.

MOVIE POSTERHAVE A LITTLE FAITH, 12min, USA, Comedy
Directed by Ashton Avila

A rebellious teenager is determined to get kicked out of her new Christian High School and teach the new boy she meets there what it really means to “have a little Faith”.

Review by Kierston Drier:

We all remember that one person in high school. They walked in a shook up your world- they oozed coolness or bravado. For Thomas, that girl is new student Faith, who wanders into his Christian prep school with her skirt hiked high, blowing bubble gum in his face. A manic-pixie-dream-girl with attitude. Enter offbeat comic gem that is Have A Little Faith directed by Ashton Avila.

Fresh, bright and funny, this is a charmingly little coming-of-age story. When Faith offers to have sex with Thomas he doesn’t actually seem to believe it- but then it happens! What keeps this story fresh and unique, is that it shows the honest, awkward and, yet- sweet moments that these two share while the try to get it on in the school auditorium.

Another great thing in this piece, is the performances. Faith is a rebellious, irresponsible troublemaker who is impossible not to like, and Thomas is a good boy bitten by the craziness that is adolescence. This piece also has some of the best closing music for it’s ending sequence. It is sometimes refreshing to take a step back into youth, when experiences were new and aching to be seized. Have A Little Faith will refresh you, for sure.

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Film Review: UNCLE ALBERT, 11min, USA, Dark Comedy

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Played at the April 2017 LA FEEDBACK Film Festival.

MOVIE POSTERUNCLE ALBERT, 11min, USA, Dark Comedy
Directed by Summer Blake

A dark comedy about the nuances of emotional response; Karen’s left emotionless following the death of her distant Uncle, Albert, she’ll stop at nothing to prove to fellow guests that she can indeed feel “sad.”

Review by Kierston Drier:

Directed by Summer Black, Uncle Albert is an open letter of support to anyone who had to go the funeral of a relative they barely knew and didn’t care about. In Karen’s case, it’s uncle Albert who was probably the creepy uncle that gave weird hugs and asked you to pull his finger way too many times.

The main issue for Karen is that she can’t seem to fake it. Try as she might she can’t feign sympathy for this poor dead jerk. Following her on this comic trail of family obligation are the larger-than-life family members that attend every funeral; the distraught relative who does nothing but cry, the overly dramatic jackass who is deeply affected by this passing and having an existential crisis about it.

The flirt who might get to take someone home. And all through this, Karen has to find a way to fake it till she makes it- at least until she can get home and call it cocktail hour.

Funny, because in one way or another it is all too familiar, Uncle Albert takes the comic notes you can find in a funeral and puts them under a microscope. And it does a really good job at it.

So buckle up, grab some popcorn, and get ready to laugh yourself to death- it’s a pretty good way to go.

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Film Review: THE WHITE ROSE, 5min, USA, Thriller/Film Noir

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Played at the April 2017 LA FEEDBACK Film Festival.

MOVIE POSTERTHE WHITE ROSE, 5min, USA, Thriller/Film Noir
Directed by Rebecca Scott

A lone gunman, interrogates his prisoner, to find the truth.

Review by Kierston Drier:

White Rose, directed by Rebecca Scott, is a powerful, symbolic and dramatic remodeling of a classic Noir piece. The interrogation, the cool agent out to track down the criminal, the quick, rapid fire dialogue pushing the criminal into the corner where he must confess- all here, all sharp and pulsating with tension.

There is a masked prisoner, and one armed interrogator filled with revenge, and victim dear to them both. Cinematically this is a piece filled with vivid images, bright contrasts and wicked symbolic representations. A thoughtful and well composed pieced with a killer twist.

If you like sharp, quick, dramatic crimes, this is a film that will have you biting your nails. And when the mask comes off our criminal, prepare your jaw to drop.

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Film Review: CONFESSION, USA, Horror/Thriller

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Played at the April 2017 LA FEEDBACK Film Festival.

MOVIE POSTERCONFESSION, 5min, USA, Horror/Thriller
Directed by Sofia Vyshnevetska

The loving father, after kidnapping and cruelly killed his little daughter by pedophile, turns into a proficient butcher. Desire of revenge will be confessed in another way of expiation…

Review by Kierston Drier:

Revenge, is a complicated emotion. It burrows inside us and simmers slowly. Enter Confessions, directed by Sofia Vyshnevestka, a subtle, striking, beautifully short and terrifying film. Subtle, because you don’t immediately know what the motives of the two men in the room are- but they are there, and one is passing a wad of money over to the other.

And after a quick breakdown to what is and is not allowed, the first man is brought down the dirty hall to a dirty bedroom and let inside. On the bed, appears to be a young girl.

Feeling sick? If you are anything like this reviewer, you might be. But the twist will push you to your breaking point.

A gut wrenching tale with many moral layers, I’m Not Him is a fascinating story of love, loss, desire, damnation and the ultimate revenge. It’s a dark tale with a gut wrenching twist not to be missed, this piece also boasts beautiful colors and excellent shooting. Check out Confession but be warned- it is not for the faint of heart.

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Film Review: HANGING, USA, Animation

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Played at the March 2017 ANIMATION Film Festival

MOVIE POSTERHANGING, 6min, USA, Animation
Directed by Nick LeDonne

An abstracted animated documentary based off of Nick LeDonne’s personal struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts after a near attempted hanging in November 2014. His feelings of depression are personified through a dark luring fog and a loving mother desperately trying to keep her son alive.

Review by Kierston Drier:

Hanging a USA animation directed by Nick LeDonne, is a deeply emotional, deeply powerful piece that takes a raw and honest look at the seriousness of the depression in the mind of a misunderstood boy longing for comfort.

Told through a voiceless abstract lense, our character battles the onslaught of words and labels- symbologies for the troubling thoughts that plague his mind- and must choose between the relief of death or the trauma of continuing to live. The personification of a mind of suffering may be a difficult viewing experience for some- but for many it will be an eye opening and important film.

There are very few films that so clearly capture the sense of entrapment and suffocation of mental illness. The visual style personifies the depth of despair- something that is perhaps difficult to understand if never experienced first hand.

While Hanging has a darkness to it, it also has unspeakable bravery- a clear and heart wrenching look at the battle one men wages between his inner demons and the sanity of his mind and soul. A difficult film to distill, because it is such a powerful film to witness.

 

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Film Review: PUMPKIN, 15min., USA, Romance/Drama

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Played at the February 2017 ROMANCE Film Festival

PUMPKIN, 15min., USA, Romance/Drama
Directed by Paula Neves

Alice’s best friend, Dan, lives in another country. When he gives her the bad news about his disease, Alice faces the scary feeling of being away, distant and powerless. And she tries, the best way she can think of, to show him support and love. Even if that means pushing away those people that are physically close to her.

Review by Kierston Drier

 his fifteen minute film from the US directed by Paula Neves is a piece to break your heart while it heals your soul. Pumpkin is a story about teenage photographer Alice and her long distance relationship with Dan, a charming and sweet boy from across the sea. Despite romantic interested right in front of her face, Alice only has eyes for Dan and he reciprocates her passion. Yet something is holding him back- that something is a terminal illness. Love knows no bounds it would seem, an Alice is unable to see the subtle hints that her love for Daniel may be ill-fated.

Some things are worth risking everything for, and Alice decides that, in order to see Daniel, she will give up the prom in her own high school, and the money in her new camera fund, to fly to see Daniel. The morning of the flight however, she gets a devastating call from Daniel’s’ mother.

Love makes us do crazy things. This is one of those stories that shows the drive of compassion from all angles. Daniel doesn’t leave Alice completely high and dry, his last ditch effort to contact her will reach her in the end. Alices’ best friend back home, won’t let her mourn Dan forever. From every angle love prevails, even when all seems lost.

Pumpkin has some notes in common with The Fault In Our Stars and with good reason- they are both stories that remind us how crazy love can make us, and the things we are willing to do to see it through. Pumpkin reminds us that a life cut short is still worth filling with love. The lives left behind are equally worthy of being loved.

 

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Film Review: FOUR DAY WEEKEND, 20min, USA, Romance/Drama

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Played at the February 2017 ROMANCE Film Festival

MOVIE POSTERFOUR DAY WEEKEND, 20min, USA, Romance/Drama
Directed by Nicole Jones

A middle-aged couple, married for twenty-three years, takes a four-day break from each other and the aftermath leaves their relationship shaken and tested but not broken.

Review by Kierston Drier

 Rich and deeply compelling, Four Day Weekend an American film from director Nicole Jones, is one woman’s recount of her journey through her 23 year marriage to her husband, through the lense of a four day weekend where they both have permission to seek extra-marital dalliances.

She, having been sexually adventurous in her youth, proposes the nourishes the idea in an attempt to give her husband a chance to explore his adventurous side. He, on the other hand, grapples with his feelings about this newly offered freedom.

This is a film that hits that magical sweet spot in the short film world- hitting every note perfectly. Emotionally compelling, heartbreaking honest, charmingly funny, expertly acted and brilliant composed, this piece still manages to be greater than the sum of its’ parts. Perhaps this is because, not only is it a well made film, but it tackles a unique subject matter with both sensitivity and sincerity.

Many love stories, address young love, or old and enduring love. Four Day Weekend tackles love right in the middle- a mature and well developed marriage of equals facing all the nerve-wracking insecurity that comes with trying anything new for the first time. Yet, despite the subject matter of infidelity, this is a piece that really does centre around love. The love of these two people in their marriage is unmistakingly clear. The lengths they are willing to go to make each other happy is a true testament to that.

A strong and powerfully made film, Four Day Weekend will engage you mentally, emotionally and philosophically, while still reminding you that love will always know no bounds. Bravo Nicole Jones, Bravo.

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Get full feedback! Winners get their novel made into a video!		 SCREENPLAY CONTESTSUBMIT your FEATURE Script
FULL FEEDBACK on all entries. Get your script performed