Length: 28:27
Written by Terry Donnelly, Steve Handley, Mark O'Halloran and Dave Roddham. Directed by Dave Roddham
Genre: War
Date: 2012
Rating: ★★★★★
Rating: ★★★★★
Logline: Two Irish cousins brave WWI trench warfare at its worst.
You only need to look at the video still above to know immediately that this is a five star film. This harks back to the traditional style of short film making where folk literally made cinema quality movies but shorter than feature length.
Needless to say, production values here are to a very high standard. Pulling off a period piece is no mean feat never mind creating a realistic battlefield with war torn trenches and extreme weather conditions. The attention to detail in the costume, set design and makeup departments is evident and the crews passion for the project comes through clearly on screen. The lighting, sound design and cinematography are all of a superb calibre and everything gels together well to make for an outstanding visual treat. A nice soundtrack bookends the piece but the sound of battle as well as the good use of silence are as effective as any music could be.
Martin McCann and Sean Stewart play the lead roles of two small town country boys who predictably look forward to joining up only to quickly suffer the crashing realities of fighting on the front line. Performances (by all cast) are powerful, emotional and raw. That might have something to do with the horrible conditions they're acting in mind. Everyone does well to maintain form while being subjected to torrential rain, engulfing mud and bitter snow. Dialogue is realistic, evocative of the period and has a morose poetic tone to it. Heavy in subtext, there's a lot to like about this.
Structure-wise, there's a kind of mystery subplot regarding which member of the division is up for being shot because they deserted. I'm not sure if keeping the audience continually guessing about who this character is was the best decision. It could provide to be a distraction from the emotional content of the film. War genre pieces are usually driven by a 'who will survive and who won't?' question anyways, and that might have been enough to carry this plot forward without adding in the mystery element.
Overall, this takes (for me) a compelling topic and treats it with the respect it really deserves. There's a lot of heart in this and the tragic ending is by no means a negative. Very much a visual masterpiece, they haven't scrimped on providing excellent emotional content as well.
N.B. If you're listening to this with headphones, be prepared to jump out of your skin a couple of times with all the unexpected gun shots and bomb explosions.
You only need to look at the video still above to know immediately that this is a five star film. This harks back to the traditional style of short film making where folk literally made cinema quality movies but shorter than feature length.
Needless to say, production values here are to a very high standard. Pulling off a period piece is no mean feat never mind creating a realistic battlefield with war torn trenches and extreme weather conditions. The attention to detail in the costume, set design and makeup departments is evident and the crews passion for the project comes through clearly on screen. The lighting, sound design and cinematography are all of a superb calibre and everything gels together well to make for an outstanding visual treat. A nice soundtrack bookends the piece but the sound of battle as well as the good use of silence are as effective as any music could be.
Martin McCann and Sean Stewart play the lead roles of two small town country boys who predictably look forward to joining up only to quickly suffer the crashing realities of fighting on the front line. Performances (by all cast) are powerful, emotional and raw. That might have something to do with the horrible conditions they're acting in mind. Everyone does well to maintain form while being subjected to torrential rain, engulfing mud and bitter snow. Dialogue is realistic, evocative of the period and has a morose poetic tone to it. Heavy in subtext, there's a lot to like about this.
Structure-wise, there's a kind of mystery subplot regarding which member of the division is up for being shot because they deserted. I'm not sure if keeping the audience continually guessing about who this character is was the best decision. It could provide to be a distraction from the emotional content of the film. War genre pieces are usually driven by a 'who will survive and who won't?' question anyways, and that might have been enough to carry this plot forward without adding in the mystery element.
Overall, this takes (for me) a compelling topic and treats it with the respect it really deserves. There's a lot of heart in this and the tragic ending is by no means a negative. Very much a visual masterpiece, they haven't scrimped on providing excellent emotional content as well.
N.B. If you're listening to this with headphones, be prepared to jump out of your skin a couple of times with all the unexpected gun shots and bomb explosions.
Best Bit: Creates an excellent emotional impact and looks fantastic.
Worst Bit: The introduction sequence at the start is a bit long and slow paced.
Read a condensed review of this film on Twitter here and an interview by the film's cinematographer Stephen Murphy here.
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