ani_isms
Um, that last guy who left a "spoiler summary" was completely off base. He said this film was probably about some crazy guy who locked his lover in the basement or something. Not quite. This film is actually about the fragility of relationships. This guy realizes, too little too late, that his girlfriend was the love of his life and he screwed it up. He is then consumed with guilt and DENIAL and loses his ability to differentiate between reality and fantasy. He deals with his depression with painkillers.(That's what is in the bottle.) Hope this helps to clarify. Otherwise, I want to say that I am a big fan of short films and this one is of the highest caliber. I was impressed with both lead characters. Two thumbs up!!!
biglightangel
Whoa!!! This Joel Kelly (creator/director)is simply amazing!!! Finally, a Indie that doesn't insult the audience with bullshit cloaked as art. I saw Denial at CineVegas (couldn't wait to write this comment afterwards)and was blown away. This guy should start cranking out more movies with a bigger budget. It's nice to see talented film makers with brains make this kind of excellent story. Am still shaking my head. I can't believe it was Kelly's first film. It seemed more like he's been around for years. Oh yeah, props to Routh and Ford too. Both are excellent actors. Routh had no cape or tights in this one and didn't need it to draw in the audience. Ford was powerful. Didn't hurt that she's also stunning! They complete the equation. We want more!!!!!!
A P
I saw this short film at Cinevegas where it premiered in June... and the quality of visuals, sound, and editing put it in a very different category from the rest of the shorts. It's only 15 minutes long but in every other way is of the caliber of a studio feature-length film. Incredible photography and direction, emotional content, and an intriguing plot twist that operates on several levels...be sure to think beyond what might appear on the surface! Both the actors in it are very believable...even though they run the gamut of emotions in such a short time frame, the acting is not overdone at all, instead they are able to deliver their performance with the subtlety and realism that makes you empathize and relate to each of their emotions....whether confusion, joy, sorrow, whatever. Very real, very relatable, easy to identify with--and one of them you'll probably recognize from a quite different role. :-) If you get the chance to see this short, make sure you do...it's worth it. Beautiful, tangible, and intriguing...I'm looking forward to other films by this director for sure.
cordlesspaper
I caught this short film in CineVegas this year and I was blown away by it.The film is visually beautiful, but the performances by the two leads really bring the film to life. It was nice to get a chance to see Routh's range as an actor. He delivers a powerful performance that truly shows his versatility.The female lead, Courtney Ford, also delivered an excellent performance. Many moments that could have been overblown by a lesser actress, were handled with subtlety, which gave the film a very personal feel.Overall, I found myself very wrapped up in the story and in the end I wanted to see more. This is by no means implying that the film felt unfinished. It's simply that I wanted to gain further insight into the lives of the two main characters. Writer/Director Joel Kelly really did an excellent job of capturing the emotions we feel in the best and the worst of times.If you get the opportunity to catch this at a festival I would highly recommend it.
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