Aaron1375 This is not a film I would normally watch, however, a person asked me to watch it and post a review and seeing as how I have not reviewed a short film in a while I thought I would take them up on their offer. Like I said, this is not a film I would of searched out and watched on my own, I am not really into dramas all that much, but I found this one to be rather interesting. It was also very well done, it is the type of short film that is basically a short movie as it looks like it has a budget, it has a rather good soundtrack and it looks more like a mini movie rather than some of the more amateurish short films and full length movies I have seen over the years. The film is about a husband and wife who do not seem very close, nor do they seem like they despise each other. They both lead their lives with secrets. You see the secrets and how they play out. Very somber indeed and much different than the way a similar scenario would happen in America (this film is somewhere in England). I was impressed by how the film played out, just not really a genre I enjoy all that much otherwise I most likely would have scored it higher. Films like this end up making me depressed and I try to avoid films like this for the most part, but it was well done.

Howard Schumann Daniel Cormack's ten-minute short, Amelia and Michael, has little dialogue but draws us in with its compelling use of gestures, facial expressions, and subtle glances to establish an unsettling mood. Featuring outstanding performances from Natasha Powell and Anthony Head as an estranged couple named Amelia and Michael, the film is a compelling experience of two people who have suppressed their aliveness and ability to connect with others and are simply going through the motions of life.As the film opens, a seemingly well-to-do, not unattractive middle aged couple, Amelia and her husband Michael sit silently in the back seat of their driven luxury car. Everything seems okay on the surface, but underneath there is a sense that all is not well. The sit far apart and show no visible expression, each barely aware of the others presence.When Michael kisses Amelia goodbye and he enters his place of business, we can feel the blast of cold air that permeates the atmosphere. The distance is maintained in the evening when they are both at home. Amelia asks her sullen distracted husband, "Are you all right?" To which he gives the standard evasion of people who are uncommunicative about their feelings, "Just tired." Headed off on a flight to Milan, Michael leaves some flowers with his wife, but it is an empty gesture without warmth or genuine feeling. As might be suspected, the next sequence reveals what has been hidden.Amelia visits a young man in the hospital who is lying in a coma. There is no indication as to who he is or why he is ill, but a picture of the two on the dresser indicates that they were lovers. In Milan, Michael uses the services of a call girl with the same indifference that his relationship with Amelia displays. When he comes home and sees Amelia in tears, he thinks she must somehow know about his affair and apologizes for his one-night fling, unaware that Amelia is most likely crying over the death of her lover.At the end, they are no further along. Their relationship seems to have petrified. They do not seem to be aware that there is a problem or that they need to do anything about it. It is apparent that, as Albert Einstein pointed out, "No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it."

TheLittleSongbird Having been contacted by private message, I agreed to watch Amelia and Michael. From its idea it seemed very interesting and indeed it was. I will admit I was a little worried that Amelia and Michael due to its short running time would not live up to this great idea.Fortunately, Amelia and Michael did do exactly that. My only real criticism is one or two scenes that felt as though they went on for a tad too long. This aside, I cannot deny the professionalism of Amelia and Michael.It is very well made, the scenery is striking, the lighting brooding and the photography superb. The music is very evocative and fits very well always with what is going on on screen.While the dialogue is minimal, the dialogue there is is sharp. Aas for the quietness I found that very effective and it added to the power and poignancy of the story. Speaking of the story, the concept showed a lot of promise and not only does the short raise intriguing questions but it fits a lot in 10 minutes.The direction is a big part of Amelia and Michael's success, it is very confident, and the acting is strong throughout with Anthony Head standing out. All in all, a wonderfully professional and very interesting short that pushes all the right buttons. 9/10 Bethany Cox

UnchartedFilms This short film shows how a good director and a fairly simple idea can tell a dramatic story (with all it's complexities) in ten minutes, that somewhere else could take two hours to unfold. Beautifully shot and great performances by the actors. A marriage is going through a rough patch, whatever the causes, we see the effects. It's a tale about the lack of communication between a man and a woman. Much is told by their silences. The end will make you want to know what happens next as Micheal says "it was just the once," confessing to what he's done, and Amelia crumbles having reached breaking point for more than just her husband's betrayal.