Clown Review

Clown is a 2018 short film written and directed by Chiara Vaile.

A short film that does an outstanding job establishing the deep psychosis of a character, Clown is only a victim of some small technical shortcomings.

It is interesting to sit down to a short film like Clown in 2021, after a feature like Joker (2019) was released which explores a lot of similar themes. This brief vignette takes a few different approaches, making it a unique watch, but the decision to take a psychological look at a main character who embodies a clown is inspired here.

Rather than just outright making some malevolent killer style film, this is a well-written piece. Compiled mainly through voiceover, the writing comes with a smart level of panache.

Where things fall off a little is mainly in the audio quality of the short. Many scenes feature some rough on set recording and even the voiceover quality feels a little off in the manner in which they recorded the audio.

The only other piece worth mentioning was one scene in particular where the color of the shots seemed to change a bit during the scene.

Outside of all of this though still rests a solid short film. Paul Cullen as principal character Alex does a superb job at portraying a conflicted lead who is both menacing and charming. As any character driven narrative, the quality hinges on this performance which Cullen soundly delivers on.

Overall Clown is a solid short film that provides a satisfying narrative arc in showcasing the origin of evil. This is a well-written piece and works despite some hiccups mentioned earlier. It is one worth taking some time to sit down to.

To follow on social media: Website, Production Instagram, Chiara Viale, and Paul Cullen.

Cheers!

Daniel Hess

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