After the crashing terror of I Wanna See 2023-(also reviewed), I got decided to see the second short at the online part of the Soho Horror Film Festival that was streamed before the film Tearsucker (2023-also reviewed), and got set to watch a match.
Note: Review contains some plot details.
View on the film:
Spending the whole film in Rachel's (played by a terrific Adelaida Polo, who capturers in her facial expressions the sinking fear that grips Rachel) bedroom, writer/director Victor Basallote & cinematographer Javi Cespedes unveil an invasive atmosphere via razor-sharp dolly shots gliding round the bed closing in on Rachel, which jump to whip-pans offering fleeting glimpses of what has invaded the bedroom.
Featuring a minimum amount of spoken dialogue, the screenplay by Basallote displays an impressive level of care in making every word count, with the on-screen txts tapping into increased chilling threats from the mysterious stranger on the other side. Counting down on-screen to how close Rachel's match is to her bedroom, Basallote drills into the horror of cyberstalking, via every attempt Rachel makes to block the match, leading to the stranger taking things to the next extreme, until they meet their match.
