Saturday, February 18, 2012

Familiar (2011) - Short Film, Short Review



Familiar (2011) - Dir. by Richard Powell

Through a series of tragic events, a middle aged man grows to suspect the negative impulses plaguing his mind may not be his own.

A while back I did a review of a short film called Worm, also directed by Richard Powell and produced by Zach Green as well as Powell. It was a once in a life time experience, and my first glance at the great triple threat of Powell, Green, and actor Robert Nolan, who played the lead in Worm as well as Familiar. Now comes part two of what is hopefully a trilogy for Dodd. There is just something about these shorts that keeps me focused on the film as a whole. There always seems to be a perfect blend of of tense thriller, gore, and character development.



Once again Nolan gives one hell of a performance, bringing life to a character who for purposes feels dead. His life has become mundane and after feeling trapped for so many years seems to be looking for any way out of it that he can. Through what seems to be his conscience telling him what to do, he puts a plan in place to fix everything, no matter what curve ball is thrown at him. Or is it some other force behind these awful thoughts?



This nice little film throws in quite a twist to send the second half down Winding Lane, only to stop just off the corner of WTF Street. It left me wanting more. I do want to see the trilogy complete, but part of me can't wait for this team to take their Terror Trio to the next level with a feature film or two. I understand it is important to this story and Worm before, but the narration can be a bit overwhelming at times and often distracting when trying to watch what is happening on the screen. It is just a minor flaw in an otherwise amazing film. I look forward to seeing what they come up with next.

Entertainment Value: 8/10 Utility Knife Wounds
Cinematic Value: 8/10 Utility Knife Wounds

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