Propaganda Review

Propaganda is a 2021 short film directed by Evan Emanuel and Rhys Clarke.

While the story of Propaganda is a very humanistic one it is ultimately hampered by a run time that is just too long with repeating locations that ultimately boil down to single locked off shots.

I think this short film would have been more effective trying to tell the story of someone desperately searching for love at a run time about half of the 19 minutes that it sits at now. The moments, while true to the current state of the world just don’t carry enough interest. Sitting down with our lead Gerald as played by Evan Emanuel as he addresses the camera directly, while a showcase for some good acting, does little to keep the viewer truly engaged.

That is not to say that what is here is all bad, I think Emanuel and Clarke are touching on some genuine emotionality that is not explored especially in the confines of the male experience. Masculinity and the pursuit of it can be a toxic one, where we are asked to bury our feelings deep, to “be a man,” so I love that they are sitting down to reflect on this subject.

As stated earlier I think Emanuel still does his absolute best to carry the weight of the scenes, and the static camera is for the most part justified by the home recording sessions he is doing for the dating sites. The issue is, is that in the beginning of the story I could feel myself sort of counting a pace in my head where I felt it should have been cut to the next scene. When that counter was surpassed things just began to unravel, this same sort of pacing issue went on for me throughout.

Again, I think from a story perspective we have a strong concept, but the execution just needed to be fine tuned a bit. Shorter length, with more visual variety all would have helped make for a more direct point for the film.

As I always say these reviews are not meant to be attacking or negative in anyway, just a highlight of the things I noticed and how I might address them. I think that Emanuel and Clarke have solid ideas they are playing with, and the dialogue throughout the piece is written well in the scenes where there is interaction. There just needs to be a better definition of comedy and drama, neither side of the fence really feels solid or achieved, giving this short an awkward road to walk down. The struggles of dating are real though and I can tell that this story does come from a genuine place.

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Cheers!

Daniel Hess

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