This was a beautifully shot short which had a really simple idea that was slowly and meticulously played out for the audience.

Unfortunately there's not a lot I can tell you about it without spoiling the viewing of it, suffice to say that we see a lone man preparing himself and setting up an intricate device that he seems to have built himself for some unknown purpose.

The lighting and cinematography was superbly executed and was a joy to watch, and the main character was incredibly intriguing and visually engaging. This was another high quality short film from the Dead by Dawn film festival.

What was most interesting and enjoyable about the story was watching the plot slowly build, developing for the final payoff. Seeing the character grow and reveal himself through his actions, and his actions alone, is one of the most fascinating things I've seen on film for a while, I was totally taken in and transfixed by this character.

It's a sign of just how well the script is written that you can watch the character develop and really understand him just through his preparation and execution of his plan, particularly as he doesn't speak a word in the entire film.

The clever ambiguous ending makes you wonder if this is what was really intended or if things had actually gone wrong. Really it could have been either way, and the payoff seems snatched away from you just at the right moment.

All in all I really liked this short and it carries bags of style with it. There was some initial confusion about where the story was going, but that just added to the mystery, a mystery that unfolded very well and came with a nice couple of surprises.

Dead by Dawn 2008
UK IMDB Film Details