J.R. Stokes and Brandon Fagan. © 2023 Sidscinematics. Directed by J.R. Stokes.
Watched it on YouTube
Is Solitude The New Lover? (Last Film Review of 2023!) Experimental films are always intriguing to see and this short film twisted my expectations. This feels like The Banshees of Inisherin but mixed with The Lighthouse. It is a psychological take on the grief of loss and love but it is also philosophical on existentialism through the protagonist's mind. It is a slow-burn short film but it keeps you engaged till the end. Let's go back to the early 1900s in Ireland and see how this guy loses his mind. Story: Set In Early-1900s Ireland, A Troubled And Delusional Young Man Dependent On The Attention Of His Mother, Grows Increasingly Obsessed With The Mysterious Death Of His Wife. According to the film's subtitle, it is a psychological film but the way I see it, it is a philosophical film due to its exploration of existentialism and a bit of personal identity. However, at its core, it is still a psychological film from the early stages of the protagonist's grief to his insanity in the final act of the short film. When watching this short film, I always feel like the protagonist is in a state of existentialism in which life is meaningless and he's losing his mind almost every day. There is a nice monologue in the middle where he is smoking and he talks about his wife but his grief and sadness are slowly taking him over. Every day, his mind gets deranged with hallucinations and it is fucked up in certain moments. He keeps talking to himself about a life without meaning because of his wife's death. The way it was executed was solid and it lets the audience get into the mind of the character. Plus, the philosophy of Love is tackled here in an interesting psychological way due to the protagonist's behavior and the film's horror atmosphere. Besides the philosophical and psychological elements, the characters are solid with their motivations and weaknesses in the film. I do not think there is any strength in any of the characters in the film. Everyone has their weakness taking over them, including the graveyard guy who keeps being a dick. I cannot lie, I like Brandon Fagan's performance and even his character. It is mysterious, yet there is some wit behind his character. With his character, he has that dark humor edge to him. His delivery with some of the F-bombs is hilarious. I do not know if that was intentional but I laughed several times throughout the film. Even if the film was not intentionally funny in some parts, it kept me engaged with the cast's performance and its storytelling pacing. The first act of the film is very slow but by the third act, the tension was kicking in. I was genuinely surprised and a bit spooked at certain moments with the protagonist's actions on himself or at a different character. Those scenes reminded me of certain Ari Aster and Robert Eggers films because of the way it was shot and directed. Sometimes, the horror needs to be through sound design and the film nails it on that aspect well. It is a unique story structure for this type of psychological film but I'm glad it kept me engaged till the end. What struck me the most with this project is the visuals itself which is a treat.
The visuals are amusing and sharp for a thirty-minute short film that is horror, psychological, and slow. The colors fit so well with his film that I do not think it would work with black and white. It adds flavor to the visuals and I love that. I even predict that this was shot on a Sony DSLR or a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4k camera because of the visual movements and quality of the image. Yet, it looks great with its colors and high shutter speed. The sound design is also nice with that crisp old film tape sound and the "crappy" audio for dialogue made it natural for the setting and period of the film. If this is an experimental film or even just a narrative short film, the production elements clicked well and for a presumably, an indie student short film, this is amazing. However, like every student's short film, not every element will click.
Going into this short film, I know this will be slow because of its visuals and even the title. If you are not into slow films, this one will drag for you. As for me, I had no issues while watching this film but the film could have used more shot variety to keep the audience engaged. Plus, certain moments can be trimmed down easily but you can still have that slow pacing as intended. The editing got much better in the final act which picked up the pacing up a bit. In terms of storytelling, even though the synopsis included the mother, I felt like there was a huge lack of the presence of the mother. I am a bit confused with the female voice-over in the background. Could it be his mother or someone else? I believe it could be the mother but there is no definitive answer unless I missed something. The audio mixing easily could have been fixed because I couldn't hear certain sentences from the protagonist but for the graveyard guy, I can clearly hear him. Due to some of the muffling with certain lines, I could not get the entire context of certain scenes so I had to rewatch it to make sure if I was hearing it right or wrong. Lastly, the film could have easily used a lot of character development for the protagonist and even for the mother and wife as well. They are important to the protagonist so as the audience, we want to learn more about those characters but it was left out in the dust which was disappointing. It could be intentional but I would love to even see at least one scene with the husband and the wife together in a flashback. Yet, with those issues I have mentioned, the film kept me engaged with its direction and style of filmmaking. I have seen many student short films that are great to okay at best, but this one hit the landing with its unique psychological story and even philosophical interpretation. Solid performances, solid direction, and splendid visuals that hooked me till the end. Props to the team behind this production and I cannot wait to see what the director does next!
Watch It Now On YouTube!
Vizeit Score: "Highly Recommend"
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Copyright © 2023 Vizeit Reviews. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Chief/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC])
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