A man and a woman are trapped in a lift together and a life is at stake. We review Down short film.
The story of Down follows Alice (played by Amanda Donohue) and Ed (James Eeles) who are trapped in a lift together.
Ed is slowly dying after trying to commit suicide whilst Alice is dying to escape as she has OCD and is torn between her phobia and the desire to save Ed’s life.
Produced by Karen Newman and directed by Garry Crystal this short film certainly addresses various issues from sexuality to mental health and OCD.
The short is much gorier than I anticipated!
Within its 12-minute runtime, Down manages to hit an emotional depth very quickly.
What bothered me ever so slightly was just how quick Alice’s OCD was pushed to the background. After a certain event very early in the short you’d expect her to be freaking out and going nuts but no. Suddenly she’s very toned down, calm and the story continues.
I thought this may have been an oversight but other issues in the short overshadowed Alice’s core OCD obsession. She becomes focused and direct when it comes to Ed’s situation.
Director Garry Crystal has awards for his previous short films including Bertie, The Fox and the Rabbit and Bobby.
I have a sneaky feeling that he may just have another award on the way for this one.
Stylishly shot and the core motive of the film far outweighs what you’re seeing on screen.
Overall
Down manages to tell a tale and be informative without dialogue of any kind addressing the issues we’re seeing. We the audience fill in the blanks, we know what’s right and wrong, what’s morally questionable or not.
We’re watching a situation unfold in front of us that we know should not have happened in the first place.
It’s a short where we fill in the blanks and are subject to our own conclusions.
A nice little thought-provoking piece indeed!
Down short film review by Sean Evans
