A man wakes up in a strange place, completely unaware of how he got there to begin with. Little does he know that an even stranger reality awaits him, as he is greeted by three pallid faces, haunted by unmissable shadows under their eyes. 

The story develops to reveal how the four characters are entrapped in a realm defined by their worst nightmares. The only seeming route to success is engulfed by the most terrifying foe - each character’s worst fear. The narrative thus presents an endeavor to explore the potency of fear vis-a-vis the human mind, displaying investment of thought and attention at the level of writing and narratorial progression. 

When the characters try to outdo it, to eventually figure out an escape route, would they be successful? Made in under forty-eight hours, the film explores the question while engaging with the individual reality of each character with earnestness. It further employs a controlled physical space to present all of this to you, endeavoring to keep the viewer engaged all along.

The Fingernail Taker | Short Film of the Day

Without warning or preparation, the viewer is hurled headlong into a world marked by shadows and shivering frames. As a visual bleeds into another, a nightmarish reality of unknown terrors and fear is invoked. A deeper introduction to this disconcerting world makes one realize a sense of entrapment, claustrophobia and what seems to be an endless path of doors and windows that only serve to give rise to a transitory hope of escape, only for it to be dashed again to the ground. 

The dark reality perhaps presents a metaphor about the several complexities of the human mind that enable it to be the most powerful form of incarceration that can exist for someone, as is the case for the protagonist. As phantoms of figures move in and out of his memories, or this realm of endless corridors and doors that lead to nowhere, the metaphor attains a life of its own, allowing itself an extra layer of depth and texture in a world that has battled the many emotional and mental demons that followed in the wake of the pandemic. 

The final result, made possible by the dedication of a lean cast and crew, invokes all of these possibilities and more. This, in turn, leaves one with the suggestion that the short film could simply be a premise for a longer, more detailed project that could build on it with the inherent potential of being much, much bigger than what it already is.

Most Viewed

Genres

Awards

Follow Us

Quick Links