Two-and-a-half minutes isn't long to tell a storyhell, most films have credits that run for longer than thatbut director Daniel Cormack somehow manages to squeeze his impressive short Nightwalkingan ironic, witty and insightful tale about paranoia and presumptuousnessinto exactly that running time. And he does a pretty damn good job, too.
Featuring a cast of two, Nightwalking opens with a woman taking a shortcut down a dark street, aware that a man is following close behind. A voice-over allows us to hear her thoughts, and, naturally, she is concerned that the person behind her is a possible attacker. Eventually, she turns to confront her pursuer only to discover that there is no-one there. And, even stranger, when she backtracks a little, she finds a mobile phone abandoned on the pavement.
The film then shows the same short journey, this time seen from the man's point of view. He is equally tenseworried that the woman in front might think him to be a rapist. Finally, he decides to broadcast his innocence by calling his mum on his mobile and speaking loudly, assuming that when the woman hears his conversation, she will feel less intimidated. Unfortunately, whilst dialling, the man falls headfirst into a deep hole, dropping his mobile in the process.
What makes Nightwalking such a clever and resonant piece of film-making is that it not only tackles an awkward situation with which most people can sympathise, and carries a nifty twist ending, but it also makes a wry comment on our society, where fear and suspicion is rife. All that in less than three minutesquite an achievement.
My only complaint (and it's something that other reviewers also seem to have a problem with) is that you might have to watch the ending a couple of times in order to fully understand what has happened.