Posted by “The Five Fingers of the Devil”, “40ish…”, “The Freezer”, “Enginuity”, “Suicide 101”, “Frames”, and “Red Shirt”. Seven works that deserve particular attention.
In the opening season of Independent Short Awards (ISA), we got from Italy an excellent, visually exciting writing piece by Lucia Braccalenti, “The Five Fingers of the Devil”. A psychological thriller, seduced by the horror genre, which looks in the places of childhood the fears that we elaborate as adults. Well structured, with obscure characters and a fast-paced plot, this work could result in a very interesting short film. The author, well aware of what she intends, manages to lead us without imposing herself, which is a virtue for a screenwriter.
From the United States, Nicole Stuart presented us “40ish …”, a 20-page story about a neurotic 40-year-old actress who is still trying to pursue her dream in Hollywood. Ironic and humorous, “40ish …” both observe the drama of age in a world in which the visual dictates rules as the fallacy of talent as a condition for success. A circular plot, which aspires no more than it is proposed namely a brief portrait of a Hollywood dimension. As the greater virtue, we underline the liveliness of dialogues and the disenchanted view without being bitter.
From UK, Martin Keady brought us “The Freezer”, a cool piece about a student who gets stuck in a large kitchen freezer after a drunken night out. A text that certainly will be a good challenge for any actor, because much of the tension in the story goes through monologues and the growing despair of the student facing a slow cold death. A particular note to the plot twist: what seems obvious is solved in a very creative way. A promising script.
Back in the US, Lawrence Whitener toasted us with the fantastic “Enginuity.” Creative, solid, with brilliant dialogues and an amazingly fast-paced, this is undoubtedly a script that deserves attention. And probably played by Lawrence Whitener himself, a fantastic actor from whom we had the opportunity to watch at ISA a remarkable performance in the short film “RevelationZ” (2017).
Randy Zuniga, also from the US, lent us “Suicide 101”, an intriguing writing piece that surely will be a huge creative challenge for any director. Dense, with well-defined characters and a considerable ambition, this “Suicide 101” is undoubtedly a work to consider.
Again from UK, screenwriter, and director Neil O’Neil (from whom ISA had the privilege of screening the excellent direction of actors in the short film “15”) have delivered us “Frames”, the first episode of a TV series which can certainly make we talk about it.
Neil O’Neil, in a dystopian and somewhat Orwellian world dominated by semi-human machines, follows the path of a couple who questions the nature of reality. Ingenious and visually appealing.
Mary C. Ferrara, from the USA (from whom ISA could watch the funny short film “Schmoopie”) brought us “Red Shirt” on a woman who goes on a blind date and runs into an old high school friend in the bathroom. A brief and humorous portrait of the urban pulsar, cold and impersonal, a space that we desperately struggle to humanize. Excellent work that deserves equally particular attention.
Seven short scripts that Independent Short Awards strongly recommends.
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