Control: a character study on isolation, mental breakdown and psychological assault
Carroll Brown, “Control” (2019) Filmed on a tiny budget, this science fiction horror short is an intense character study detailing the effects of long isolation in…
nausika
A tale of alienation, dehumanisation and exploitation in “Upload:U”
Samuel E Mac, “Upload:U” (2017) A creepy little short made in very sparing minimalist style, “Upload:U” may be viewed as a metaphor expressing the alienation and…
The Professor and the Madman: a deeply emotional film about obsession, suffering, forgiveness and redemption
Farhad Safinia (P B Shemran), “The Professor and the Madman” (2019) Adapted from the novel “The Surgeon of Crowthorne: A Tale of Murder, Madness and the…
Awakenings: a spooky Gothic retelling of the classic Henry James story
Bhargav Saikia, “Awakenings” (2015) Inspired by and closely based on Henry James’ famous novella “The Turn of the Screw”, this short film is conventional in its…
Australian and New Zealand Films
WeWork – The $47 Billion Disaster: a profile of a company and its founder peddling an unsustainable vision and business model
Dagogo Altraide, “WeWork – The $47 Billion Disaster” (ColdFusion,2019) Some workers probably wish their employers would make their working lives fun for them by sending them…
Wrong Number: a study of fear and anxiety and their projection into reality
Tiago Teixeira, “Wrong Number” (2018) An odd little film with just two characters, “Wrong Number” is a study of anxiety and the tension that come from…
The Stylist: a beautifully made character study with a basic plot and sketchy psychology
Jill “Sixx” Gevargizian, “The Stylist” (2016) Never did a psychotic serial killer look more fragile or seem so worthy of our compassion and sympathy as Claire…
Malacostraca: personal and career inadequacy, family breakdown and resentment leading to tragedy
Charles A Pieper, “Malacostraca” (2018) Playing like a conventional creature-feature horror flick with all the inconsistencies the genre often attracts – how on earth does the…
Locksmiths: a parable commenting on the decay and degeneration of Western society
James Kwon Lee, “Locksmiths” (2015) Behind the laconic, even mundane title is a surprisingly taut and unbearably suspenseful story with a heartbreaking climax in which two…
Redacted Tonight (Season 4, Episode #271): covering the most under-reported news stories of 2018 – 2019
“Redacted Tonight (Season 4, Episode #271)” (RT America, 14 December 2019) In this episode, Redacted Tonight host Lee Camp runs through several stories picked up by…