No color, no dialogue, no cuts; all tension.
To be able to tell a complete, cohesive, and captivating story in just a three-minute short film is an impressive feat in and of itself. But to be able to tell such a story in such a timeframe without a single word of dialogue, or a single cut of the camera, just one, long, near-silent take? That’s nothing shy of astounding, as is our short film selection for today, The Collectors from writer/director Dawid Krepski.
On Christmas Eve, a young woman (Marina Bruno Wolf) breaks into a house. She’s looking for something. Then a young man enters (Jordan Rountree). He’s looks for something too, and for her. A short game of cat and mouse leads to a surprising ending and an even more surprising revelation of what the something they were both searching for actually is.
The Collectors reminded me of Christopher Nolan’s Following, Robert Bresson’s Pickpocket, and other such subtle, black-and-white thrillers, and the one-shot cinematography of Marcin Banasiak is the perfect accompaniment to Krepski’s taut, tense, elegant and oh-so-atmospheric narrative. I’m pretty sure I forgot to breathe for the last minute, and when the final moment came, I laughed out loud with astonishment. This is top-notch storytelling, exceptional filmmaking, and an all-around engaging and entertaining film; get your eyes on it immediately.
Related Topics: Short Films
