Thirty2

Thirty2 is an incredibly powerful and effective rendering of a classic Poe tale of obsession and madness. The cinematography is dense and rich. The acting is natural, but full of nuance. This is a journey fully told through facial expressions and movement and narrated through changes of light and shadow.

Great work by the adult leads and the actors playing their younger selves.

Anyone who is familiar with what the weight of a lengthy illness of a loved one does to the psyche can relate to the claustrophobic isolation it produces. One doesn't have to develop a pathological obsession themselves to understand how such things can and do happen. The terrifying tales are grounded in reality.

For a moment in time the viewer has a glimpse into the twisted mind of Poe. This captivating short film carries you along a river through a nightmarish landscape that descends into madness. Fans of Poe will feel right at home as I did. The film is an absolute visual delight as the black and white style allows the narrative dance between dreams and reality culminating in a truly bizarre climax and resolution. Even now certain images from the film haunt my memory. I would love to see it succeed at any number of short film festivals internationally. The director's vision and the cinematography alone deserve recognition.

Though there is a little slo-mo overkill, the camera work, lighting, and score are provocative. The visuals evoke that "What does it all mean?" feel, heightened by the slo mo use. Some scenes worked in slo-mo and feels planned in the shoot speed. Other slo-mo scenes felt manipulated in post-production and weren't as pure and smooth. The piece has a nice visual poetry to it and promises to be an interesting and haunting story narrative. The casting is average but works well with a pitch trailer or sizzle reel. I think the music and sound effects work well, especially, filling in for the lack of dialogue.

The film is visually stunning evoking the style of German Expressionism. It's compelling the way it gets you in the mood of the era in a sinister atmosphere. It has a very good story expertly directed by Tim Luna who created a memorable short film that I could watch again and again. Harrison Jones gives a remarkable performance that is both sinister and magnetic. The cinematography is top notch and is refreshing when B&W is well done and justified like in this film. There's certainly love invested in this film and it shows so kudos to the cast and crew and I hope they keep making films such as this one. I was certainly hooked from the beginning.

Edgar Allen Poe is always on the edge. The use of Black and White to create mystery and give the viewer a sense of traveling back in time worked well. It feels as though we are in the authors head as he wrote his famous short story Bernice. The color pop makes a full circle statement. What a period at the end of a crazy story. You captured the essence of Poe well.

This short shows the thin line that keeps humanity in check... or is it? The amazing thing about this short is how it plays with imagination and reality. What an interesting look into the mind of Edgar Allen Poe. This film should do well in the short film festival circuit.