The Critic

A powerful and poignant story that makes you think and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Brilliant. Top notch performances by the two leads Stella Velon and Alan Smyth. Can't wait to see what Velon does next.

At the first sigh, the end seems a mistake. It reduce the intensity of the tension and gives an easy solution. But...

It is a great short film because, in some measure, it becomes, scene by scene, be a film about its viewer. Secrets, low situations, past. All familiar and difficult to be confess.

A great star and and an interviewer and the fall of apparences. That is all but the film is just a gem for the cold and precise birth of details changing everything.

A film about truth , past and apparences . And , sure, about honesty to yourself.

THE CRITIC is a completely flawless and realistic short psychological drama written and directed by Stella Velon, who also stars in it. This film is simply outstanding and deserves all the critical acclaim it has earned. It truly demonstrates her enormous talent as an artist. The film judiciously utilizes its whole runtime of 15 minutes to take us on a thrilling insightful ride into the mind of the protagonist.

The story revolves around the compelling mental conflict of an award winning actress (Stella Velon) as she cross questions and doubts her own success and self-worth. Her strong inner critic is very intelligently personified as a physical interviewer (Alan Smyth) asking her harsh questions directed at her personality and her past, on the night of her award ceremony.

As she is continuously pressurized and stressed to an emotional breaking point, she helplessly feels kind of trapped by her own mind's judgement which she can't seem to get rid off. Her frivolous attempts at overcoming it only spiral her down into melancholic days of overwhelming anxiety, depression and addiction. But, much like most of us suffering similarly, she tries to hide it in herself to conceal from the outside world.

Thus, we as the audience are reminded of the consequences to overly criticizing ourselves, even in the face of our exceptional achievements.

Stella Velon's amazing performance adds icing to the cake. She delivers every line of dialogue so perfectly that it's enough to make us enter into the head of the character and feel the way the story wants us to. The score carries us away into the film as it intensifies right at the climax, making us figuratively live through the experience. We never truly see the face of her interviewer, but this deliberate cinematographic choice creates a stronger impact. The timely camera movements like push-ins and frame sizes are used so cleverly that it creates a profound cinematic effect on us.

I think that this storyline is surely inspired from Stella Velon's own personal experiences, much like the plot of the film itself. It thus proves the point again that, art is best when written from the heart.

If they ever decide to reshoot this movie with someone other than Alan Smyth (someone who can act), please let me know.

His questions are all delivered with obvious contempt, to the point of silly. Totally takes me out of the film. Then there's his completely unconvincing laugh, it's a perfect antidote to immersion.

Good production value, but Alan Smithy's character is entirely not credible and sours the first 15 minutes. Was that fault the Director, Writer, or Actor? Mr Smithy should credit this to Alan Smithee to save face.