Cluster

CLUSTER A short film by D. Ryan Mowry

Review by: Nick Gootee for What I'm Watching

This is my first written review in quite some time, so be gentle sicko's! I was contacted by D. Ryan Mowry and asked if I'd review his short film CLUSTER. I just gave it a watch, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I always enjoy seeing a film that delivers the goods in such a short run time. At 8 minutes and 04 seconds CLUSTER entertains and showcases Mowry's skills. Professional looking, from the look of the film to the FX, it's a solid production.

The technical stuff: Written, Directed, and Edited by- D. Ryan Mowry. The stars- Reid McIver as The Man and Roger Garcia as The Pain. Score by: The Giallo's Flame. Released in 2013. Web links: SB-Films http://www.sb-films.com

Sublimation Sinema http://www.sublimationsinema.com

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CLUSTERmovie

The plot: A man comes home to relax with a beer and some television, only to be plagued by severe headaches. The headaches and pain are illustrated through the symbolism of a man in a ski mask who assaults the protagonist with a variety of weapons. The FX were very well done, and the gore delivers.

My thoughts: I thought this was a good film, because it takes a real issue (migraines) and shows the pain and helplessness the victim of said migraine feels, with the use of horrific imagery (a ski mask wearing psycho ready to inflict pain). The director wanted to portray how helpless the character felt because it was his own body and mind turning against him and he was powerless to stop it. I liked how the man was tied up, the symbolism of being trapped and held hostage by your own body is something I think we can all relate to. The professional look of the film, and the musical score lend credibility to this film where other shorts have failed. D. Ryan Mowry knew what he was doing with this one. I look forward to checking out his other work. Solid all the way through, I recommend horror fans keep their eyes peeled for this guy because I expect great things from a smart film maker like Mowry. The trailer for CLUSTER can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4UgcYzU2l8&feature=youtu.be

This short has a very thoughtful creator.

It was one of the most creative pursuits to describe something that plagues a number of us. Every event that occurred was vivid. The script accurately depicted the feeling and suffering one would describe while going through such events. An audience could definitely relate to the main character and although the antagonist is very familiar, the way the character is represented makes for a very sinister feel. A feel that I'm sure would be present in anyone's description of such suffering. The transition from one scene to the next may have felt a bit disjointed, but not enough to distract from the overall movie. Well thought out. Well done. The audience will have sympathy pains!

D. Ryan Mowry visual portrait of a migraine that just won't go away is effortlessly done in this short film. With only eight minutes to demonstrate the agony the victim is going through, Mowry allows the viewer a peek into the male's state of mind. While no words are used in this film, the actor expresses his disdain for the suffering his body is putting him through. My only problem with this is the length. Eight minutes is far too short of time to allow the audience an understanding of what actually just happened to the victim. The actor portraying Pain should be given more options for "torturing" Male, and thus having the audience a better opportunity to appreciate the anguish that Male is being put through. Highly recommended

The film is shot very well, and the concept is in itself well designed and brilliant. There were so many little sections within the film which worked well, mainly talking about the use of the camera's focus and the way the scenes were set up. Early on in the piece I noticed some fantastic blocking in the piece. As far as independent shorts go, it was a very good piece and I would highly recommend it on the grounds that it's very well shot and there has clearly been a lot of effort gone into the preparation for the making of the film. It's not a perfect piece, I don't think there's ever been a perfect independent film, certainly not a perfect Hollywood movie, however it's a very good example of the best side of independent film making, all brought to you in a small well wrapped package. In regards to the plot, I had very little idea what was going on, all I knew was that it was visually a very good piece to watch, and I would recommend it.