The Blue Drum

It has potential to be a quite entertaining horor drama but... hey... who cares about entertaining the audience, right?

Let's just have a nice enough idea, half bake it, get some back-ups and lazily produce it!

An additional 15-20 minutes of nicely put together story will make this still a short film which won't make none of scream, "that's it?!" I can get this way of storytelling for an almost drunk uncle on Xmas.

Well, thank you, maybe they thought we're smart enough to put 2 and 2 together but hey.... we smart people hate it when others waste our time even for a tiny 16 minutes.

"They're smart enough to make a production, I thought they're smart enough to tell a story well," say I who must rant more because... I gotta meet the character limit.

I started watching this on my nice Samsung TV that sounds great no matter what I stream on it. Unfortunately the dialogue was muffled, and if I turned up the volume enough to actually hear what they were saying, then the other sounds were way too loud. Did they have pillows over the mics??

To give this the benefit of the doubt, halfway through I switched to the Netflix app on my iPhone + my fancy earbuds. This was no better. I could seriously record better quality audio on my phone - as I assume we all could. What the heck? Ultimately not worth a watch or a listen IMO.

I already see that some other reviewers did not have the same experience, so YMMV. I hope you have better luck than I did!

With a runtime of just 16 minutes, this short horror film does a good job. In fact, it could easily be turned into a full-length scary movie, or you could see these 16 minutes as a clip from a pretty decent horror film. Short films, even in the horror genre, aren't usually this scary because building suspense takes time. However, this one manages to create that feeling.

The story follows a young woman who has recently lost her father. She is mourning and feels a deep sense of loss. At her beloved father's funeral, not all the relatives are kind or speak highly of him. Our main character loved her father deeply because he raised her alone. It's revealed that her mother left when she was just a small child, so she never got to know her.

Soon, strange noises start catching the young woman's attention. While trying to find where the noises are coming from, she discovers a stash of hidden family items. This discovery, along with the increasingly louder noises, leads her to uncover something even bigger-something no one would have expected. This is the part where I wished the film had explored more of the backstory and the consequences of her discovery.

All in all, there are many worse and more meaningless ways to spend 16 minutes. For that reason, I consider The Blue Drum an excellent short film in its category.

... drum? Is that an actual saying or am I making this up? I kind of feel I have heard this before. But that is a thing with memories - if it's sayings or people we miss(ed). And that is the segway to this short movie - no pun intended as always of course.

Losing a loved one is never easy. I think I saw a teaser for this at a horror film festival last year. It could have been a different one that has a similar tone - grief but also trying to figure out a way to close a chapter of ones life ... to move forward! Which is only possible if you can say goodbye ... or find something out about yourself or a relative ... it is the latter in this one - drum(roll) please! No pun intended once again to close things off.

"The Blue Drum" (2022) is a short film that attempts to create a haunting and atmospheric experience, but ultimately falls short of its potential. While it boasts some intriguing visuals and sound design, the narrative feels underdeveloped and leaves the viewer with more questions than answers.

The film follows Leticia, a young woman grappling with the recent death of her father and the mysterious circumstances surrounding her mother's disappearance. The atmosphere is effectively eerie, with the use of shadows and sound creating a sense of unease. The performance of Crystal Hernandez as Leticia is commendable, conveying her character's vulnerability and determination.

However, the film's narrative feels rushed and lacks clarity. The central mystery surrounding the blue drum and its connection to Leticia's family remains largely unexplained, leaving the viewer feeling unsatisfied. The ending, while attempting to be impactful, feels abrupt and lacks a sense of closure.

While "The Blue Drum" demonstrates potential with its atmospheric visuals and sound design, its underdeveloped narrative and unsatisfying conclusion prevent it from being a truly compelling short film. It feels like a missed opportunity to explore a more profound and engaging story.