The film offers an interesting mingling of poetry and the visual narrative of its choice. Unlike most short films inspired by such a piece of writing, which bring in a voiceover with corresponding visuals, Boiler adopts a refreshingly different approach. Using words written by Bob Holman, the film conjures a world of its own - one marked by unease, deep discomfort, graphic visuals and a devotion to storytelling. The story opens on a note which deceives the viewer about the direction in which its events are headed. The scene is about a couple driving on an empty highway, a potentially romantic set-up at first glance. However, this deception soon gives itself away as a sense of discomfort, elemental to the rest of the narrative, enters the picture. The film is marked by its minimalist, theatrical setting, akin to a drama unfolding on stage. The smart use of camera enables it to produce the desired effect, a deep disgust in the viewer, which, in turn, succeeds at making them part of the agitation and anxieties of the young woman and man themselves. The dialogues follow a rhythm which produce the clipped effect of staccato poetry, allowing the experimental film, despite all its abstraction, to communicate to the viewer an experience that is very relatable and mundane - visiting families during the holidays and the underlying tension that accompanies this situation.

Boiler | Short Film of the Day

You are advised to not go into The Last Lockdown Sketch on a full stomach or with any sort of squeamishness you might associate with the human body. Consider yourself warned for what is to come is not for the weak-hearted. As an online consultation progresses between Dr. Lecter and his patient, John, the viewer is roped into an online appendectomy that the doctor leads his patient to perform on himself. Before the bizarre event comes to be, the gathering of the objects that would be required to execute the task - needle and thread, alcohol and a sharp blade - are smartly chosen images to invoke dread within the viewer without explicitly showing the act itself. The rest of the narrative follows the same premise, one that conjures horror more by concealing than revealing. At the same time, the entirety of the film remains peppered with unexpected bits of humor to enhance and supplement the grimness of the act, while entertaining the audience throughout. As the procedure progresses, the viewer's attention is ensnared by the developments before them. This is precisely why they are completely caught off guard with a far more disturbing revelation that awaits them at the end of it all.

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