love you, baby

A documentary about the last phone call I had with my annoying wife. Impressive choreography and photography. If you have kids who are scared of ladies coming down stairs do NOT bring them to any screenings of this spookablast

Oh Breadwinner! What a meanie Hubby you were! Ha ha
That poor woman, jeepers I was clutching my seat. The whole one take thing done so well, so scary. Nice timing of moves and the conversation. Felt very authentic. Hard to be home alone after that.

So well done guys! Sets such a good spooky atmosphere, the boyfriend character is perfect at being the dismissive unlikable character (had me actually rolling me eyes) and the end reveal made me jump at the heats! Nice lighting throughout and great use of the houses layout for the one take.

What I liked:
Some nice things going on in the background here, and I think everyone has been in this situation where they have or think they have heard noises inside their house when alone. Houses get big in that situation! The dilemma of investigating or trying and shutting any thoughts out of your head and going to sleep is very relatable. The very slow, disguised reveal at the end is particularly well done, and given the aspect ratio it all feels very claustrophobic. I’m a huge fan of films with no music and (apart from one hit) only diegetic sound. So good! Great execution of the one-shot too. Very nice.

Take it or leave it:
Maybe I should have watched this late at night in a dark room with no one else in the house, ‘cos I just wasn’t scared at all either for me or the lead! I think this had to do with the script (there’s a bit of redundant dialogue – “Sorry to call you so late/Do you know what time it is?”) or the direction of the lead – the swings of panic and calm aren’t really sold or timed well enough. She does a great job at the end – it’s really good - but I didn’t get that she was really that worried up until that point – and shit got real well before that. It's just not sustained one way or another. Either go full scared or blase`, maybe. I get the conversation with the boyfriend; it’s a useful distraction and raises questions about who is to blame in their relationship, which sounds like it’s coming to an end anyway. He’s suspicious of Liam; he mentions a previous lie. He’s dismissive, and sounds fed up. He puts the blame on her, and she weakly tries to defend herself. What’s the commentary here? Bad men, or are we putting it on women? Is she literally hiding from the truth, pretending it will all go away? Her ghosts of the past coming back to haunt her? It all depends on your perspective, I guess!

Final hot air:
Look, this is a really good, solid horror without doing anything new. Alone in the house hearing noises is a very common way to go, but this short is well made, in the shortlist and probably one of the finalists. Well done, rip focus: Tokyo Drift!

I was not expecting this from Rip Focus – a different vibe from your usual for sure, and one you pulled off really well! This short was one of my personal favorites this year– what an absolutely fantastic use of one-take.
I thought the tension build was super effective, and while rewatching it at home in the daylight still felt creepy, at the heats I was thoroughly spooked. Definitely one to watch in a dark room for full impact!
The rising threat in-line with the rising toxicity of the partner gave deeper meaning to the story, and the character being silenced as the hands wrap over her mouth at the end really hit that parallel home. I thought the acting got stronger across the course of the film too.
Congrats on a great short - expecting to see this at city finals!

Very powerful, a great a one take

Now here's a film with a lot of nominations! Clearly the judges appreciated the many different components of this carefully choreographed one-shot. A lot of planning must have gone into this masterful execution.

The phone call is great, revealing a challenging relationship while building tension. The main character tries to ignore her fear and convince herself that everything is okay. The performance is excellent.

Action in the background is most effective when humans are hidden in shadow or appear thoroughly unnatural – the hatch and door that open by themselves to reveal darkness; the hand pressed against a window; the unnatural being descending from the attic; and the thoroughly disturbing two beings at the end with their unnatural faces. Impenetrable shadows force the audience to imagine for themselves what horrific beings lie in wait.

I'm pulled out of my suspension of disbelief when a human is too visible and walks too normally. Maybe pushing those human appearances back into the shadows in post-production would help? Imply, don't show!

What a sinister ending. The wrapping around of the hands is so memorable. The heartbreak of a main character who seems resigned to an unimaginable fate and sets any grudges aside to say "I love you" to a man who will soon hate himself for the way he has spoken to her. A moment beautifully reflected in the film's title.

I'm not sure I understood why the phone was silent for a while before the man's ranting suddenly resumed. I realise now it's because she mutes the phone.

I love how we've had a few films this year with beautiful contrastful black and white and/or a claustrophobic 4:3 aspect ratio. This film is perhaps not the *most* claustrophobic use of 4:3 this year, but it's very nice.