The Dark Recess Review
The Dark Recess is a 2019 short film directed by Olver Jolliffe.
Feeling consumed by your demons is a universal concept, one that we have all felt at times, this is the story that most concerns The Dark Recess, but some technical shortcomings hold it back from growing to a higher level.
One of the biggest issues that has a negative effect on most indie level productions is sound mixing. While this is not nearly as offensive as I have come across in other works, it still is noticeable, especially in changes of angles during scenes. This combined with some muddier visuals, especially those filmed during the day, hamper the experience.
It is not all bad here though by any means. While yes, the lighting can be just shy of overexposure outdoors, there are some really standout moments of lighting too. When Charlie is at her apartment listening to the radio with her head on the kitchen table, was one standout example for me.
The acting is all serviceable here and of course the standout being Charlie as portrayed by Katie McKenna. I think she does a solid job portraying someone on the edge of a breaking point, pushed too far by guilt.
The score as well shines too. Music by Tom Jolliffe and Rachel Shuttleworth create a synth atmosphere which nicely inhabits the visuals.
Where I think things kind of don’t ever land for me is in the story. I never felt particularly grabbed by Charlie’s plight, and the “showdown,” with the antagonistic force shadowing her in the piece just fell a little flat. There needed to be a stadium of interest if you will with more depth than just a wooded area. I understand the connection to the place of the inciting incident for the internal trauma, it just didn’t add much to the tension.
Overall, The Dark Recess is a solid effort that could be heightened with some technical cleanup. While it is by no means a bad short film it just falls into a sort of gray area where it is neither creepy nor mysterious enough to hold attention throughout. The answers all seemed to be there and the story just a bit too easy to see the direction where it was headed.
As I always say though I do not write this to be discouraging at all to my fellow artists. I hope Oliver Jollifee and his entire team keep pushing on with more productions, and I am excited to see the growth they put into each new project.
To follow on social media: Production Instagram, Katie McKenna Instagram, Leila Bartell Instagram, and Rachel Shuttleworth Instagram.
Cheers!
Daniel Hess
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