I'm a sucker for short films so when DRAKE came to my attention I was pretty excited. The film won Best Foreign Film (Short) at the 2013 AOF International Film Festival in Los Angeles and I can see why.
The film is told through a series of flashback but opens up with Carter Drake (played by Cengiz Dervis), an underground fighter, being held in a mental hospital that looks like an English country estate. Through the flashbacks we find out that Drake's brother was in trouble with some dangerous people and they wanted Drake to throw an upcoming fight or they would hurt his family.
I don't want to give too much away but Drake does not throw the fight and actually kills his opponent in the ring. The violent series of events that ensue lead to Drake's institutionalization.
The film is pretty fast paced and some of the flashbacks come one right on top of each other so you need to pay attention. But the film works very well. A lot of the story is told through images and the whole film looks fantastic. Many of the shots are truly beautiful.
As psychological thrillers go, this is one of the best in the genre. We are left wondering how much of the story actually happened and how much is just part of Drake's hallucinations.
Dervis does an excellent job as the lead character. His performance is very well balanced. In roles like this there is a tendency for the actor to over act and become a caricature. But Dervis delivers a truly believable performance.
As all good short films should do, DRAKE left me wanting more. At just over nine minutes long, DRAKE is a film that will stay with you much longer.
