The Last Step

This type of film will feel familiar at first, not in a bad way as there's a reason these film noir type crime drama/thrillers are so popular, particularly among film buffs. The choice to go black and white seems like a no brainer but many would be surprised at how often filmmakers over think this choice and end up compromising the integrity of this genre of film. I applaud the production team and, in particular, writer/director Justin Brewster for leaning into this classic filmmaking style. Everything works, the art, casting, wardrobe... everything. It's shot beautifully, scored wonderfully and probably most impressive, they were able to tell their story in less than 8 minutes. My favorite part is the ending, I definitely won't spoil it here, but I didn't see it coming... not even sort of. Overall, this short is a very successful entry into film the film noir genre.