Lightningface

I wish I could swear in these reviews because "What the ****" would be an apt summary of my thoughts on this short. To be fair, that's an apt summary for most shorts, though some can be charmingly bizarre, Lightningface was all bizarre, no charm, not even from oh so charming Oscar Isaac. There just wasn't enough substance for it to be memorable or all that interesting, the "humour" was equally bizarre/and or crass/sexual, and it mostly leaves you with little question marks floating above your head. Not the worst thing I've ever seen but... not really worth the time even if that time was only 20 minutes.

I don't usually review short films because they seldom leave me with anything distinctive to say. The reason I'm writing this review is because this film is basically the dictionary definition of distinctive. And, despite the fact that I've seen more short films than I can count, I can safely say that this is my favourite short of all time.

A lot of people find this film weird and I don't blame them in the slightest. In fact, when I showed this film to my friend, their first reaction was "the f$%&?", and, in all fairness, so was mine. But the thing is, for the longest time, I've loved weird, off-beat humour, so this scratched that very particular niche in my brain. The reason this film is so funny stems from its absurdity and its campiness. In fact, when I was watching it for the first time, I really had no idea where it was going to go next. And, I mean, what else can you expect from a film about someone who gets struck in the face by lightning?

Oscar Isaac once again proves that he is an incredible actor by simply stealing the show for the entire 20 minutes. Said 20 minutes are essentially him having a complete mental breakdown whilst confined inside his apartment (strangely enough predicting both Moon Knight and all of 2020). And somehow, even though this film (as I've mentioned) is one of the, if not *the* weirdest film I've ever seen, Isaac gives an incredibly realistic, if not a little over-the-top, performance. I'd definitely watch a feature film of him just throwing stuff around a very nice-looking apartment.

Speaking of throwing stuff around a nice-looking apartment, the single-space set-up works really well and shows how creative you can be even if you've just got one location on your hands. In general, despite all of its transcendental monkey-themed lightning weirdness (well, that's a sentence I never thought I'd write), it's a really interesting portrayal of someone who is clearly losing it. And I love the ambiguity of it all - despite watching it twice within the last two days, I am no closer to understanding it, and I can't stop thinking about it.

After loving this film a lot, I checked out some more of Brian Petsos's work. He's collaborated a lot of with Oscar Isaac (I presume that the two are friends), and I really love his style of short film. The other short of his that I saw, Ticky Tacky (2015), once again displayed that dry, absurd sort of humour, but I enjoyed this over that partially due to the weird premise. I'd very much like to see more collaborations between the two, maybe even a feature film.

In conclusion, I guarantee that this will be 20 of the strangest but most fulfilling minutes of your life.

-Sasha.

I couldn't help but laugh at some of this. Great job by Oscar Isaac.....again

Lightningface (2016) follows a man named Basil, who in the aftermath of an inexplicable incident, decides to sequester himself inside his apartment. This short is a lot of fun, it isn't a huge standout but it's an intriguing concept. The film is massively helped by the brilliant performance from Oscar Isaac.

The cinematography is ok, but definitely lacks in some areas. I like a few of the colour palettes and there are some pretty shots with interesting framing, however the short feels too visually dark and dull at times and I did expect more. Additionally, the editing is done very well and makes the short fun to watch.

The sound design is a bit goofy at times, but I find it adds to the charm and humour. The score is equally as odd too. The sound design includes a lot of chaotic and loud elements which I feel fit the tone of the film rather well.

Oscar Isaac is absolutely perfect in his role, and he really brings his character to life. His character, Basil, is also very well written and completely unhinged and fun to watch. It's entertaining to see his quick descent into madness and unpredictability.

The short is somewhat slow, but still very entertaining. It's incredibly weird and includes some oddly funny moments, I never knew what was about to happen next! The ending is just as confusing and bizarre too which I really liked. Lastly, the film is structured by being split into chapters which I thought was a nice touch!

Definitely worth the 20 minutes, if just for Oscar Isaac giving another virtuoso performance.

I really liked it, and the ambiguity about it is one of the charms.

The single room set up is effective. The lighting and make up or excellent. Give it a shot.