Reminiscence Review
Reminiscence is a 2020 short film directed by Tomek Zontek.
A smart subversion of the typical love triangle story that culminates in a strong stylized conclusion, Reminiscence is a solid short film with a unique voice all its own.
The story at first seems destined to deliver a doomed romance drama style story with a musical student coat of paint slapped on it, quickly blossoms into a unique short film. It is always great to watch a short that has a clear sense of direction, and a smart way to lead the audience around some winding roads.
Looking through an objectively technical lens the film has a few places where improvement could occur though. The most notable tweak that was seen throughout was an overreliance on aerial video cuts. While they may have a nice aesthetic to them, they feel unnecessary as they don’t provide establishing shots for the locations we are visiting, or if these were establishing shots the information did not explicitly telegraph this to the audience all that well.
Outside of that some close-up shots utilized were almost too tight of a frame on characters’ faces, which is of course a purely subjective thought. For the vast majority though, the shot selection is great, providing a powerful presence, especially with the constantly moving camera in the opening section of the film.
The big standout here has to be the climax of the piece which balances a riveting performance from Josh Radcliffe intermixed with a great score by Alex James Lewis. This is such an interesting way to showcase all the anger and frustration built up by this character in one beautiful montage of explosive artistic talent. It conjures up memories of The Soloist (2009) and Crossroads (1986), while maintaining its own unique voice.
Reminiscence is a strong showcase of talent from Zontek, with a solid team of creators behind him. This is a film that will bring some surprises with it and even if you think you have the story figured out from the start, expect a little of the unexpected.
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Cheers!
Daniel Hess
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