Trick of the Light

An old woman feels like she's going through the daily motions as she cleans and cooks in a poor house - only seeing her husband when he comes in from the pub and falls into bed. However at night she is visited by Columbine who makes her feel alive and allows her to experience her dreams. However with all fantasy - it only feels special when it is fantasy and exists only at night away from reality.

This interesting short shows the importance of dreams and fantasy as a get away but also the importance of reality. Without reality then fantasy has no reason - if our reality is fantasy then what are we escaping from? This starts well and when Columbine is introduced I felt really uncomfortable - his looks and his smooth voice are a little unsettling but this adds nicely to the feeling of the fantasy as a dangerous place to become lost.

The lead actress is very good and Columbine is a good character despite his make up - in fact the make up is very good despite being slightly simple. His features are basic but very effective. The end of the film is not what I expected as I hoped it was building to something. It created a mood of uncertainty and I felt that it was going somewhere specific. However the end is open to interpretation - as I have done here!

Overall this is a very good film that is interesting, amusing and slightly unsettling. Worth a look at least once, if you can find it.