As a woman sits with crystals, trying to ascertain what they could bring into her life, the film paints a beautifully dreamy landscape, one that is constantly shifting, but forever maintaining the tonality and approach of the narrative. 


It talks of happiness, sadness, and courage, the words accompanied by the soft sounds of a trumpet and mandolin. The thoughts are presented as fragments collected from conversations and interviews, woven with this lovely musical reality. The narrative pronounces how more often than not change leads to something beautiful. 

The film presents its soulful interpretation of the many shades and whimsies of life, while staying true to the horizon of expectation regarding its form that is created in the title. It becomes a reality that is realised within the narratorial flow and progression itself, while also leaving the viewer with a celebratory sense of hope.

Open Form | Spotlight

The film presents a mosaic of thoughts, experiences, dreams, and aspirations, as well as vulnerabilities and hurt. The fragments are viewed together with the deliberate graininess of the visuals, the many pixels constantly dancing across the screen of this Super 8mm visual landscape, which not only lends the end result a notable texture but also a dreamy quality. 

In her pursuit to find her place within the world, the protagonist addresses a character we never see on screen called Kevin. As her different memories and experiences get painted against this free-flowing canvas, a multitude of emotions are presented to the audience. 
The film achieves all of this in its brief duration, as if distilling an overarching pursuit and the many efforts and streams of consciousness that constitute it. The voice that thus emerges is undiminished and paves the path for more such thematic and ruminative endeavours in the future.

Dear Kevin | Spotlight

Two women are located at the heart of a circuitous reality. As they try to figure out what this strange realm holds for them, a liminal space between life and death comes into existence. It develops to reveal that laws of time and space do not exist here, and that the fate of the two women hangs in the balance. 

The subsequent story presents a philosophical and reflective rumination on a seemingly arbitrary and obscure realm that is not devoid of its memory, or perhaps an echo, no matter how faint, of what it was to have once loved and be loved in return. 

The characters are portrayed with an unmissable sincerity as the viewer follows them on their path. The final result is engaging, atmospheric, and makes notable use of a physical space to rope in fantasy, symbolism, and a strong voice that should be explored in longer storytelling endeavors with similar themes.

Halfway | Spotlight

The film locates itself in an empty diner, save for a couple and a curious stranger who watches them from afar. As the couple discusses their internal dynamics, the issue of one of them not giving the other one enough attention, a horizon of expectation seems to be forming before the viewer. However, before this thought can go any further, the stranger’s presence becomes too overwhelming for either of them to ignore, and in an even stranger progression of events, he joins them. 

As the conversation now begins to move amidst the three of them, a tight script, marked by something deeply disconcerting right under the surface, takes shape. Thus develops a story of relationships, the secrets they harbour, and how fidelity and the very idea of attention can mould them. No one can be trusted in this realm. 

The narrative presents a single, crisp moment and closes a little too soon, definitely leaving the viewer wanting for more. With its seamless screenplay, skilled performances, and chemistry, it is easy to overlook a slight inconsistency within the sound department.

Additionally, it would be interesting to see the story delve deeper into the lives of the characters in a longer project in the future.

Star Night | Spotlight

It is a sunny afternoon, and the air is cheery as a group of friends enjoy a barbecue. An observation about the yard’s grass gets competitive juices flowing and two from the party procure a lawn mower each, turning it into a little game of sorts. 

A harmless activity at first glance, the circumstance gets very dire, very fast, but never without humor that defines the film right from the get-go. As innards of a character go whizzing all around them, and slapstick meets gore, the narrative presents a bite-sized moment of comedic horror. The crimson of human blood and entrails makes for an interesting contrast against the bright, formerly cheerful day. Action more than dialogue constitutes the screenplay, and all of this together ensures that the audience is shocked, horrified, and entertained in equal measure.

Mow Down | Spotlight

The film presents a physically confined reality of two characters who undertake a very dangerous, challenging scheme. In this scenario, hired assassins dispose of an important associate of a political campaign, and it is the ensuing conversation that forms the body of the film. 
The narrative employs intelligent use of its resources, keeping itself limited to a single room and a television screen, to invoke lofty ideas, as well as their critique. The writing and story construction exhibit strength and professionalism, and present a result that endeavors to take apart the intensely dysfunctional machinery of capitalism, where the rich get richer, and money and power remain the only true masters. 

The final result of the film presents a germ of an idea, albeit handled with attention to detail. Consequently, it reveals potential to be developed into a longer, deeper commentary on the same, alongside notable performances that shoulder this endeavor with skill.

Death is Business | Spotlight

The protagonist of the film, Poppy, has the power to put the viewer at unease right from the get-go. With her stiffly wavy, blond hair and a smile that never reaches her wide, wide gaze, she encourages a young woman to find her best self, and yet, the discomfort never leaves the scene. 
As the story progresses, and Poppy inserts herself into the life of another unsuspecting woman, it becomes clear that something truly amiss is afoot, until the shattering revelation of a death by suicide. In the process, the film presents a brief but sharp glimpse into the hollowness of multilevel marketing schemes that exploit and damage people in terrible ways. 
The narrative’s engagement with its protagonist’s internal journey further offers an insight into the kind of individuals that constitute this world. The film maintains its approach and storytelling with steadfastness, alongside a strong portrayal and performance of the protagonist. The short is a concept for a longer project, one that surely has the potential of becoming a gripping full-length feature that takes the viewer deeper into its realm.

The Downline | Spotlight

The world of the film opens in shadows where a new mother battles sleepless nights, endless chores, and the many demands of a baby who depends entirely on her for their existence. The repetition, mundaneness, and the circular reality that life becomes while raising a newborn form the backbone of the narratorial progression. It further presents a much-needed glimpse into motherhood, often glossed over with upbeatness and a sense of perpetual and irrevocable joy, an approach that diminishes the true sacrifices parenthood entails. 

The edge, the isolation, demands, and pressures of motherhood are capable of pushing a woman to, is portrayed for the viewer with an economy of dialogue and a minimalism intrinsic to the screenplay. Consequently, the film’s shadowy monochromatic realm employed to pronounce this isolation, and the lack of colour in the protagonist’s life, becomes a fitting storytelling device. 
Shot entirely on a smartphone and stripped to its bare bones, minus any bells and whistles, it is simply the power of storytelling and performances that drive the film forward. Its single-member crew, bolstered by skilled actors, ensures that all of these ideas are portrayed in an unmissable manner.

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