The Empty Building

For the past few years, there has been a monthly screening of short films from New York State "Emerging Filmmakers." I saw The Empty Building at the October 31, 2005 screening and it was not only one of my favorites from the series, but one of my favorite short films of all time.

It speaks of the horrors of our modern lives. It speaks of the things in each of our pasts that hold us back -- the subtle and the dramatic traumas that choke off the capacity to live our lives, demanding our attention to try and solve the unsolvable puzzle of how to unchain our present selves from the past. The answer is to change ourselves to accept what happened, but that's not such an easy path.

Thus, there is an empty building where we relive our fantasies and hash out that acceptance. Where we can go to embrace ourselves and our past selves and our successes and our failures. It's where those demons live and where we can look them straight in the eye and say goodbye.

I saw this film a few years ago while I was screening flicks at the Newport Beach Film Festival. I still remember it and it was great. The direction and imagery laid over the misery of past events seemed almost natural as I was watching it. The audience is connected to the characters through the intense direction of the film and we wish we could save the characters someone from their past fate. The film keeps the audience connected to the characters throughout all shots and intervals. A great director is the making. Everything comes together in the films - the score coupled with the great direction, imagery and actors leads to a great short about such a horrible experience. I look forward to seeing more of his stuff.

Caught the film at the Gotham Short Film Festival a couple of weeks ago. I was blown away by the story and art filled scenes-- one beauty after another. Strong contents involving the mind set of people having todeal with their early years where problems occurred, big big problems. All within this weird building where anything goes. Excellent Production values from top to bottom. This film is strange and gets stranger by the minute but there's something there that keeps you watching.

Great acting from the director Govanni Sanseviero. This man has talent in many fields. This film works!

I do not know exactly what to say for I have never done this, but the movie was stunning. The Great Lakes Film Fest in Erie, Pennsylvania was showing it this year and luckily I had the chance to escape Florida for a while to attend. I have never gone to any type of film festival, so this was quite an experience. There were good movies shown and, of course, a handful of...well, not-so-good movies. The Empty Building was definitely one of the top films. As a side note, the actor/director/writer/... was such a nice guy; he really does appreciate the fans. He is a passionate man and it is really shown in his work.

I'd recommend seeing this film. It is not a waste of time at all. Absolutely beautiful. If you have the chance to obtain a copy, please do so. Share it with your friends. It is worth it.

Giovanni Sanseviero has created a truly unique film that uses theatrical devices and a limited amount of dialogue to tell a complex, non-linear story in which the building of the title allows visitors to face buried traumatic experiences. Few first films possess the insight, depth, visual artistry or genuine compassion evident in The Empty Building. The story does not unfold in a straightforward manner, for neither does anyone's personal healing process. Flashback settings are artificially constructed within the building, suggesting the architectural aspect of recalling past incidents.

Sanseviero is not afraid to take his time as a storyteller and avoids obvious methods of exposition. As an actor, Sanseviero honestly portrays Benny's emotional struggle without resorting to any obvious theatrics. His performance matches the subtlety and depth of the film surrounding it. Yet Sanseviero is not out to impress. He has a story to tell and engages the viewer with this need.