User Reviews

Young Frankie is out in the neighbourhood trying to do odd-jobs for neighbours to help raise some extra pocket money for himself. When he knocks on the door of one old dear, he picks up some easy gardening work. She invites him in for a soda as an extra reward but quickly things change and Frankie ends up in danger in the house of the old woman and her husband.

Hard to really criticise this film because, in 48 hours, the makers started and finished this short film but I do have to say that it does show somewhat. The idea is good but I never really felt like I was on the edge of my seat. The idea is quite chilling but it lacks atmosphere really badly and I kept wanting the film to actually chill me. I say this because even as a big girl's blouse, this film didn't scare me or even really move me either. The camera sees to be quite flat and Yang doesn't really use the tight confines of the home to as good effect as he might have done. There are some good ideas (I liked the cold white of the kitchen) but visually and atmospherically it doesn't really work.

Which is a problem because this short film is all about that. The plot is too simple and the characters too thin to really draw much from there so really it is all about putting the viewer on edge – which it didn't do. The cast are so-so but perhaps not as good as one would have cast if given more time and resources. Gorsuch and Schroeder didn't really carry off the menace or the innocence required by their characters and Foti is just plain weak.

Overall then a worthy enough film given the constraints of the competition but, outside of the novelty of this, there isn't much to recommend it for and the near total lack of atmosphere is a serious failure.