By Mothlight Review
By Mothlight is a 2021 short film directed by Jamie Garcia.
A mix of Midsommar with a touch of The Other Lamb, By Mothlight packs a memorable punch in a short that delivers with deep Shakespearian styling.
Imagine waking up one day to find you are in a foreign place filled with people you’ve never seen before but garnering an inability to escape. Easy to surmise that this is pretty terrifying to say the least.
This is the instant hook we are given in this short film and that sense of dread never lets up. Filmed in stark black and white, even the shining sun can not save us from the harsh reality we are stuck in here.
Two big standouts in the film would be the writing and the acting, both of which carry the piece immensely. Not to say that other elements are bad, but that these core pieces really keep the pace flowing nicely.
The writing and in particular Shakespeare inspired dialogue from Brandon Guerrero does not miss a beat. For many this will either be a fun jaunt down the Victorian rabbit hole, while for others it may be somewhat of an eye roll element. Though personally it is very enjoyable to see, it is easy for certain viewers to either feel lost or just find it “cheesy.” However, it is not like the film is catering to a crowd that might feel this way as it stands anyway, so this could be a moot point.
The acting from our four core leads is wonderful. No one feels lost in any moment of the dialogue and the performances are astoundingly genuine. Emily Thyme as Alessa in particular brings a gut-wrenching bravado to her role.
Given so much goodness here this are two notes that are worth quickly mentioning that stick out in an otherwise technically proficient piece. The first being a strange focus miss a little past the five-minute mark. The other being some low audio from the two younger women cultists around the same time. Again, it sticks out only because so many other elements are so well done here.
Make no mistake though By Mothlight is a wonderful short film that deserves your attention. From smart writing, to great acting, and high caliber makeup designs as well, it all comes together beautifully. For those particularly fans of cult themed horror, this is even more a can’t miss type of film.
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Cheers!
Daniel Hess
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