A man wakes up in the street covered in blood, with a massive open wound in the back of his head. Without compulsory medical insurance (thanks a lot Obama) he bandages it up and carries on the best he can, despite some very odd symptoms. Voices (well, a single voice) are only one of his concerns as he tries to deal with his wound and also navigate the social and professional politics associated with making a move the hot girl in the office.
To say The Grey Matter is an odd film is somewhat of an understatement since it does involve many odd things, not all of which hang together as they should. It is a horror movie but it is a horror movie that sits in the world of the ordinary and there is a certain amount of black comedy as to how this man fits into his regular world despite his fundamental and horrific change – American Werewolf in London is certainly something that springs to mind in terms of the overall approach. The story engages from the start, and all the developments and oddities only serve to add to that. This makes for a good film but perhaps not a totally rewarding one since the viewer is left with more questions than answers, and not all of the things in the film are ever explained or expanded.
The film is technically impressive, looking good and sounding good. The visual effects are also mostly impressive, although the talking worm perhaps is not as sharp as those used to Guardians of the Galaxy level of animated characters might expect, but still good for what he is. The cast play to the horror and comedy well – in particular Moss- Bachrach makes a good lead with his "ordinariness" played in contrast with events. The film does ultimately end without feeling really rewarding or satisfying, even if it did entertain and engage throughout; I'm not sure if the short is meant to be the bones of something bigger and this short presents a proof of concept of a sort, but it is something that could have been better in an otherwise entertainingly odd short film.
