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Reviews
Kin Dread (2021)
Intriguing low-budget indie film
A strong central premise is well realised in this independent chiller - sound is so important in filmmaking and this movie puts it front and centre, great thinking! Protagonist looks comfortable in the role, plenty of strong support, some edge of the seat moments. Well done all.
Dirty Beautiful (2015)
Great to see a true indie romance
It's an under-represented genre, this was just the right amount of off-kilter to engage. Well done all round.
With Love from Suffolk (2016)
A warmhearted regional romcom
Made by over 200 people from the East of England as a love-letter to their county and a showcase of their talents, this micro-budget romcom punches far above its weight and went down a storm at its dozen or so cinema screenings round the region last year. It's a portmanteau with eight themed stories, all with love at the centre of their narratives. There's a wide range of likable characters, from a teenage footballer to a florist to one man and his dog, and it's a really nice mix of romance, feelgood stories and humour. It's available on DVD and all the profits from this will go into the next FILM Suffolk project so I really hope people will seek out and watch this film, show it the love it deserves and keep supporting filmmaking and creativity outside of the capital!
My Feral Heart (2016)
A heartfelt and sensitive portrait of our human selves
If the score was for intention and sincerity, this would entirely be a 10. This is a super-low-budget British drama that shines a light on characters not often represented on the big screen. The filmmakers have proceeded with absolute integrity of purpose, the film is not at all preachy, it's "just" a story and doesn't try to give answers or deliver a sermon. We are invited to spend time with characters healing after traumas. The plot has a mystery at its core that is left narratively unresolved but there is definitely an emotional climax to the story that leaves you wanting more. Well done to Ms Gull, Mr Paveling and their talented collaborators for showing the world that UK indie film is fighting fit and ready to take on the world!
Hangar 10 (2014)
Blair Witch meets Close Encounters
Saw the premiere of this at the Colchester Film Festival. In many ways it's exactly what you'd expect from a found footage take on the Rendlesham UFO mythology. For me the twist was the artistic vision that the director Dan Simpson brought to the table, which was there from the start I guess but becomes increasingly prominent during the film as it heads towards its unsettling denouement. The set-up is good, conventional as it lays out the 'rules' of the found footage, who's got which camera etc, but the characters are well acted and you get drawn in to their dramatic set up. I don't want to spoil what follows, I will say that Blair Witch is a clear template as things become increasingly stressful for the protagonists - until the final act - about which I will say no more. The camera is shaky to start but settles down, the editing is GREAT and really keeps the pace up, and the director takes every opportunity he can to tell the story visually, resulting in some genuinely haunting, mesmeric imagery. A fine example of independent British film-making at its best.
Woodwoo (2013)
Very nice short
Thoughtful and beautifully made, this is one of the best shorts I've seen in a while. Jonny Phillips (of The Last Great Wilderness fame) writes and directs, and takes on the lead role of a world-weary tree surgeon who's day at work takes a turn for the worse. The story builds very subtly from its naturalistic opening to a dreamlike crescendo, here's hoping it finds success on the festival circuit. Technically the film is a triumph, I'm not sure what the budget was but I expect it was made on a wing and prayer like most other shorts nowadays. The action is centred around a single tree, and the cinematographer certainly makes a virtue of this limitation. The camera swoops and prowls among the branches as Jonny climbs up into them, you notice the beauty of the light pushing through the leaves but also the growing sense of danger as our protagonist leaves the ground behind. The lensing is crisp, the sound design lean but effective, the editing flows unobtrusively. Both performances (Phillips and John Kirk) are nuanced and convincing. Definitely one to seek out if it's playing near you.
Spoilt Broth (2010)
Great little short
Saw this film on the big screen last night in Ipswich and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's only 4 minutes long but it still manages to build a little world and draw you in. And it's actually funny too, which is more than you can say for a lot of supposedly comic shorts. Credit must go to the lead actor, Oliver Korittke, who is well known in his native Germany, apparently. He's got a wonderfully mobile face, you find yourself hanging on the little ticks and quirks in his expressions. The story is a playful riff on the 'heist gone wrong' scenario that managed to hoodwink the audience and leave us with smiles on our faces. The director (a Colchester resident) was at the screening to introduce the film and revealed that it was actually shot in Berlin, kudos to his production designer for re-creating a little corner of England. Well done to Toby Roberts for this fresh and funky little comedy!