Escape Review
Escape is a 2020 short film written and directed by Johanan Eugene.
While a very short film at only three minutes in length, Escape walks down a dark path quickly that it does not shy away from as things proceed forward. Ultimately though the short length does detract from what is ripe to be a more fleshed out story.
What is most interesting and striking about the film is the visual style that Eugene as the cinematographer chose to showcase this dark in tone short. The washed-out high key lighting style leads the audience to a place unexpected by the story’s conclusion, which was a smart subversion to the normal foreboding high contrast look seen in films with a twisted protagonist.
What perhaps started as a routine trip to the grocery store is quickly shown to be quite the opposite as we see our lead buying tampons, sniffing them before placing in his hand basket. There is obviously something amiss but we are forced to have a nice build up in tension until we see our ultimate reveal and reasoning for such a purchase.
All of these elements are smartly put in place to create a sense of dread for the viewer and it shows that Eugene has a keen eye for not only drawing in the attention of his audience, but also keeping us glued to our seats to see what will happen next.
Perhaps then it might be appropriate to step back from the complaint of a time too short, as this might be the perfect length to have dealt with this so severely tortured soul of a lead.
Where it does feel a bit of a let down though is in the sound department, particularly by the end, wherein a dark conclusion falls just a bit flat. With different effects as well as more sharply implemented sound effects it feels as though this scene could have struck even harder of a chord to finish the piece off.
Overall though this is a well-executed short film that does not waste any time in delivering a darkly devious story. Eugene and team have a clear knack for polished visuals that stand tale against a dark plot. It is one to watch but be forewarned it is not for the faint of heart.
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Cheers!
Daniel Hess
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