Don't Look Away (2017)
September 17, 2020 9:24 AM - Subscribe
While waiting for her parents to return home, a young woman looks out of her bedroom window and notices a strange-looking man staring at her from the garden. When she calls her father, he tells her urgently: "DON'T LOOK AWAY." A short horror film by Christopher Cox.
Yeah, good concept pretty well executed. It has the same problem a lot of short films* seem to have in that it doesn't really know how to end, and so it doesn't. It just stops. What we're left with it confusing and doesn't hook up with how we've been told this works.
But of course once the movie is over and you start thinking about it, none of it makes any sense anyway. How did mom and dad even manage to conceive children under these circumstances, much less raise them to the edge of adulthood without them ever having any idea about this? But yes, in the moment it's quite effective, and that's the bar for a horror film.
*especially in horror, where audiences have been conditioned to expect nothing other than the same "it's finally over...NO IT ISN'T!" shock, shock ending no matter what. Not every story path leads to that particular meadow.
posted by Naberius at 11:29 AM on September 17, 2020
But of course once the movie is over and you start thinking about it, none of it makes any sense anyway. How did mom and dad even manage to conceive children under these circumstances, much less raise them to the edge of adulthood without them ever having any idea about this? But yes, in the moment it's quite effective, and that's the bar for a horror film.
*especially in horror, where audiences have been conditioned to expect nothing other than the same "it's finally over...NO IT ISN'T!" shock, shock ending no matter what. Not every story path leads to that particular meadow.
posted by Naberius at 11:29 AM on September 17, 2020
Good premise, woooooooof on the acting, ye gods. Also nthing the shock ending trope that seems to be just here because others have used it in the past.
posted by Scattercat at 4:28 PM on September 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Scattercat at 4:28 PM on September 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
Yeah, the acting was abysmal. The son was adequate, but the other two — double yikes.
posted by holborne at 10:22 PM on September 19, 2020
posted by holborne at 10:22 PM on September 19, 2020
Daughter: What the hell was that?! What's going on?
Dad: I'm sorry sweetie, I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.
I thought this short had some fun ideas! But this dialogue made me LOL.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 8:16 AM on September 30, 2020
Dad: I'm sorry sweetie, I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.
I thought this short had some fun ideas! But this dialogue made me LOL.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 8:16 AM on September 30, 2020
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posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:28 AM on September 17, 2020