After a nuclear war, a group of children at an isolated farmhouse debate what the outside world might be like. Soon one of them leaves the house to investigate, and finds out that things are... Read allAfter a nuclear war, a group of children at an isolated farmhouse debate what the outside world might be like. Soon one of them leaves the house to investigate, and finds out that things aren't the way they thought.After a nuclear war, a group of children at an isolated farmhouse debate what the outside world might be like. Soon one of them leaves the house to investigate, and finds out that things aren't the way they thought.
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Featured review
Come, Sit. I Am The Teller Of Tales.
Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Dark Enemy; here's the breakdown of my ratings:
Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.25 Pace: 1.25 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.25
TOTAL: 6.25 out of 10.00
This short film, Dark Enemy, by The Children's Film Unit, came as a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting much. I only wanted something light to watch on a too warm afternoon. What I beheld, while I got myself fan-cooled, was a dark, brooding, and mysterious movie about a group of rag-tag kids living in the wilds.
Colin Finbow, the writer and director of this dark sci-fi gem, tells the story of the youngers and the elders. This sliver of humanity has chosen to live in harmony with the planet. They grow their food and never eat anything that was once alive. They pray to their gods when the sun rises and sets over the hills of their valley. All is peaceful, and all is well. Except that an illness has befallen the elders, and now they number only two. Ash, the youngest elder, confines the other, Ezra, as he is growing old and his mind slips, and when he tells the stories, he may speak of things never to be spoken of. This world has secrets, but what are they, and how will they impact the youngers? Ash, needing to assign a new leader to govern after him, sends three youngers on a traditional trial to decide sovereignty. The first who returns will rule. During this test of skill and endurance, they learn the dire truth of humanity's history. Will it change the youngers for the better or the worst? Finbow creates a believable world filled with credible and interesting characters. The mystery surrounding their realm is the chief driving element. He uses the children and the storyteller to embellish its mystique. It was these that pulled me into the story and kept me watching.
Finbow's directorial skills are rudimentary, though he does have a good eye for using shadows and light. It is displayed best in the scenes showing Ezra's confinement in his tiny shack. The pools of darkness within adds a feeling of disquiet and subtle threat. He's a recluse, but the constrictive shadows add extra unease to his seclusion. They also work well in the opening sequence with the narration to instil those same emotions in your subconscious. Though the pacing is slow, Finbow utilises it brilliantly to allow the viewer to deliberate on the story and its underlying meaning and mood.
The cast is not great; nor are they terrible - Their performances are like the sea - They have ebbs and tides. In some segments, some actors and actresses portraying the youngers are good, while others aren't so agreeable. But, later, you'll find their pros and cons swapped around. And in a couple of scenes, all the youngers perform well. The only constants are the two elders, David Haig as Ash and Douglas Storm as Ezra.
I would happily recommend all the Sci-Fi fans give Dark Enemy at least one watch. I enjoyed it, though you can probably figure out the story's mystery yourself. But you don't have to since it's a spoiler in the IMDb description.
When you return from your Trial of Ascencion, come on round and gnaw on a few carrots while you check out my The Final Frontier and Dramatisation Of Life lists to see where I ranked Dark Enemy.
Take Care & Stay Well.
Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.25 Pace: 1.25 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.25
TOTAL: 6.25 out of 10.00
This short film, Dark Enemy, by The Children's Film Unit, came as a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting much. I only wanted something light to watch on a too warm afternoon. What I beheld, while I got myself fan-cooled, was a dark, brooding, and mysterious movie about a group of rag-tag kids living in the wilds.
Colin Finbow, the writer and director of this dark sci-fi gem, tells the story of the youngers and the elders. This sliver of humanity has chosen to live in harmony with the planet. They grow their food and never eat anything that was once alive. They pray to their gods when the sun rises and sets over the hills of their valley. All is peaceful, and all is well. Except that an illness has befallen the elders, and now they number only two. Ash, the youngest elder, confines the other, Ezra, as he is growing old and his mind slips, and when he tells the stories, he may speak of things never to be spoken of. This world has secrets, but what are they, and how will they impact the youngers? Ash, needing to assign a new leader to govern after him, sends three youngers on a traditional trial to decide sovereignty. The first who returns will rule. During this test of skill and endurance, they learn the dire truth of humanity's history. Will it change the youngers for the better or the worst? Finbow creates a believable world filled with credible and interesting characters. The mystery surrounding their realm is the chief driving element. He uses the children and the storyteller to embellish its mystique. It was these that pulled me into the story and kept me watching.
Finbow's directorial skills are rudimentary, though he does have a good eye for using shadows and light. It is displayed best in the scenes showing Ezra's confinement in his tiny shack. The pools of darkness within adds a feeling of disquiet and subtle threat. He's a recluse, but the constrictive shadows add extra unease to his seclusion. They also work well in the opening sequence with the narration to instil those same emotions in your subconscious. Though the pacing is slow, Finbow utilises it brilliantly to allow the viewer to deliberate on the story and its underlying meaning and mood.
The cast is not great; nor are they terrible - Their performances are like the sea - They have ebbs and tides. In some segments, some actors and actresses portraying the youngers are good, while others aren't so agreeable. But, later, you'll find their pros and cons swapped around. And in a couple of scenes, all the youngers perform well. The only constants are the two elders, David Haig as Ash and Douglas Storm as Ezra.
I would happily recommend all the Sci-Fi fans give Dark Enemy at least one watch. I enjoyed it, though you can probably figure out the story's mystery yourself. But you don't have to since it's a spoiler in the IMDb description.
When you return from your Trial of Ascencion, come on round and gnaw on a few carrots while you check out my The Final Frontier and Dramatisation Of Life lists to see where I ranked Dark Enemy.
Take Care & Stay Well.
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- P3n-E-W1s3
- Jun 21, 2022
Details
- Runtime1 hour 22 minutes
- Color
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