Rearview

I must admit I was hooked from the first frame, a bedraggled beauty in a red cocktail dress, completely alone and vulnerable in a stark ,threatening, urban environment. The plot drags the viewer through a claustrophobic and shocking series of events and leaves you feeling slightly stunned when the credits role some four minutes later. I found the consistency of this short film's photography quite astounding. Filmed at night in one take, navigating street lights and a car interior and it's many reflective surfaces without losing control of the narrative for a moment. Giving the film a hyper-real, voyeuristic feel. Whether intentional or not, the under-cranked moment of violent rage brought back memories of the bar scene in goodfellas and the infamous car door scene of Lock, stock and two smoking barrels. The female lead was exceptionally believable, and the little moment where she stopped to pick up her shoe amidst her trauma was remarkably well observed. Telling a fully rounded tale is never easy and this does in less than five minutes what most can't encapsulate in thirty. Well worth a look.