Writer Jasper Marlow and director Dane McCusker have crafted
an interesting and cautionary tale in their short film Reception (2011). An
expectant mother Evelyn (Jessica Tovey) is working the night shift at a hostel
when she is asked to investigate strange noises coming from one of the tenant’s
room. Despite being apprehensive about
becoming a new mother what she discovers in the room of the tenant from which
the strange noises originate will force her to come to grips with her own
reluctance.
At less than 8 minutes, Reception
gives viewers an alternative look at motherhood from someone who may not have
wanted to become a mother but had it thrust upon her. The magic in the film is that this is all
done through art direction and cinematography.
The very first scene has Evelyn deciding whether or not to take a drink
of wine. Once she enters the room of the
tenant she is thrust into a world of teddy bears and children’s toys that
assault her directly and chastise her for all the bad decisions that she’s
probably made since learning she was pregnant.
It’s a hard truth that she must confront when she learns the true
horrors that await her inside the room.
Director of photography Michael Steel does a great job
bringing out the horror that awaits Evelyn simply through the choices of
saturated colors which are even more enhanced by the music of Sam
McCusker. This is a creepy and
unsettling film that doesn’t rely on a lot of blood and gore and has something
more to say than many of the other run-of-mill short horror films.
You can watch the full
film online at FearNet - http://www.fearnet.com/shorts/reception
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