Edward Whelan's "Audition" portrays the internal mental struggle between one's actions and one's lack of confidence.
Despite this topic being particularly delicate and challenging to pull-off, Whelan and his team successfully execute an ambitious script, which demonstrates a personal triumph against inner demons - further highlighting the need to talk about mental health in today's day and age.
The underlying, wiry tension between Alex and Elliot was subtly embellished throughout the course of the film due to intelligent scoring by Samuel Read. This, in conjunction with clever lighting and seamless editing further developed an impending sense of turmoil that crescendoed scarily towards the final performance and shock ending.
Overall, the cinematography of this piece is truly extraordinary and a credit to Whelan's vision and implementation of his script from page to screen. The cut-away shots paying homage to his alma mater and shining a light on the beauty of rural Durham, for the world to see.
Acting debuts across the board were particularly strong, in particular by Rose Galbraith, Jack Firoozan and Barney Mercer.
We await in earnest for Edward Whelan's next piece.