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zacharylivingood
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Wild Indian (2021)
A lot of great potential
WILD INDIAN is a film about the different paths that arise for people after experiencing traumatic events in their childhood.
I really loved the concept, but ultimately I feel like it falls a bit flat. It starts very strong, but I think otherwise fails as a character study, and I didn't really feel anything for Makwa, any sort of relief or regret of what he did. He shows that of course, but again, did I feel it? Not really. Ted-o I think was a really interesting character that I wish we could have dived more into. I would have loved to see maybe more of his downfall.
The story references and tries to mirror the story of Cain and Abel, which I think is a really interesting way to take a story like this, and I like that side of the film a lot. It's just focused on so little unfortunately and is quickly forgotten, similar to the flashback images at the start and end of the film.
Overall, I think the cinematography by Eli Born is beautiful, as well as the dark brooding score by Gavin Brivik. There's so much here that you can like, but I think there's also reasons why not to.
But really I think the most distracting/disappointing part was Jesse Eisenberg. I love Jesse, don't get me wrong. I think he's great in everything I've seen him in. But the presence of him being in a total of like 3 minutes of the film, seems like a bit of a miscast.
The director and writer, Lyle Corbine, seems that he has a lot going for him and he should definitely have your sights on him for the future. Can't wait to see what else he's able to work on and accomplish!
12 Kilometers (2016)
A Pretty Great Horror Short
The pace of this short film I think is it's best quality. Not once did I look away from my screen, wonder when something was going to happen, or wish I was doing something else.
The cinematography was beautiful. I loved the orange "industrial" lighting that accompanied the set design, which was handled so well! I really did believe this was a remote work site.
One thing I really liked in this short, is it's use of humor. It is a horror short, don't get me wrong. But in particular, I liked the dynamic of the three drill workers. The conversations they had on the side felt like a real slice of life. This is something that often gets overlooked, and I'm glad it was acknowledged and put in.
Sound design I think could have been better. There were points where there was almost complete silence. But it felt wrong. You would hear hair being ruffled, objects clattering, but almost rarely footsteps. Which is a really important part to sound design. Doesn't kill the project, but definitely is missed.
Overall, I really liked this short. It was a great use of my time and I can't wait to see more from this!