Breakdown Noir Review
Breakdown Noir is a 2020 short film written and directed by Kalle Saarinen.
A crowning achievement for what it means to produce high caliber DIY filmmaking from a smartphone, Breakdown is a well-paced and delightfully gratuitous love letter to the modern-day film noir.
It goes without saying that there is an obvious influence from the work of Quentin Tarantino here. From the musical score to the “Pussy Wagon,” key chain for our lead characters car, it is on display in leaps and bounds.
What is great to say though is that this piece wears that influence like a badge of honor while also carving its own path. The work here is original, and while the characters don’t reach the same level of depth that we might see in a feature film, we can still relate to reasoning behind the violence of the film.
On that thought, when we get some taste of bloodshed, the film does not hold back in making sure we get a full display of the carnage. Whereas too many smaller budget indie films choose to cut away from this, here we are locked in with pure precision on everything happening.
It is again worth noting that the filmmakers shot on an iPhone 11 pro in a single day, which is pretty remarkable. The shot variety and framing are great, and Saarinen and his team obviously have a deep knowledge of filmmaking to make it all work.
The only gripe one could leverage at the film with the decision to use the iPhone is there are some scenes where we get a bit of rolling shutter. This is of course an attribute that plagues most DSLR cameras today but given the phones perhaps small form factor it is noticeable, nonetheless.
The audio here too is serviceable and while the sound mixing is great with the music utilized as well as the audio effects work, the dialogue sounds a touch hollow. It certainly gets the job done, but definitely could use a bit more fidelity.
Again, this a wonderful short film that really showcases what you can do even with a smartphone. It has some welcome dark humor and some violence that might even make you wince a bit. Breakdown Noir is easy to recommend, especially for those who love classic Tarantino.
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Cheers!
Daniel Hess
Film Festival and Award Highlights:
Europe Film Festival – Best Mobile Film July 2020
Prague International Monthly Film Festival – Best Mobile Film July 2020
Brazil International Monthly Film Festival – Best Cinematography International Medium Length Film
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