Balloon Animals is a short about three armed female robbers who flee the scene of a botched heist only to find that their troubles are just beginning.
Directed by Rick Roberts Balloon Animals isn’t your typical indie short. We have some real cinematic value throughout it’s 11 minute duration. We have action-packed shootouts, an American muscle car chase, we have some intense sequences and still have enough time to go over a subtle yet needed backstory of how the heist was planned.
Our three girls all have their own quirks and personalities. We have Heather (Played by Megan Lockhurst) who is the leader of the group.
She’s tough, she’s badass, she’s fresh out of county and ready to jump straight back into the crime pool for the sake of a quick paycheque.
Then we have Sheila (Played by Laura Jean Marsh) who like Heather is also fresh out of county but seems a little more submissive compared to the rather dominant Heather. Last but not least we have Lucy (Played by Megan Tremethick) who is the softest of the three and as innocent as they come. Seemingly roped into the heist because of her deep feelings for her girlfriend Sheila.
It’s quite surprising how in 11 minutes the audience gets a sense of not only the task at hand but the group dynamic as a whole.
Feature length films can take 90 minutes or more to establish solid cast dynamics yet Balloon Animals does this simply and effectively within it’s very short duration thanks to the expertly crafted script written by Tim Seyfert.
Hats off to cast and crew for this one as Balloon Animals is an adrenaline fuelled thrill-ride that keeps you on the end of your seat throughout.
It’s certainly nothing new in terms of plot line but it’s the attitude, swift cut editing and beautiful direction that makes this short worth a watch.
My only negative comment is that I wish the short was padded out longer.
Balloon Animals certainly has the potential to make a great feature film.
We have three actresses putting in stellar emotional high-octane performances from the beginning and it would be nice to see the full scope of how this heist came to be but that’s the joy of the short film.
Not too much, but not too little and Balloon Animals leaves me sitting here wanting more!
Rating
Summary
High-Octane Action packed goodness. Balloon Animals draws you in, keeps you hooked and leaves you eagerly wanting more!
