Wick (Short Film, 2010)
Starring Elinor Price
Directed by Micah Gallo
Memories can be kept in any number of places, from a home or a particular belonging to the dark recesses of the human psyche. But what happens when the mind is troubled and tormented by a past it can’t quite recall? Is it better to suppress those memories that are not a comfort but a curse? Or should one face them and the uncertainties they represent?
Gloria (Elinor Price) is haunted by memories of a tragic fire. She is being held against her will in a psychiatric facility where the staff is trying to use electroshock therapy to “erase” the trauma from her broken mind. Plagued by vividly terrifying nightmares, Gloria escapes to find a music box that she remembers from her dreams. When she opens it, is Gloria faced with a manifestation of her own fears, or has a hideous beast truly been summoned from someplace unknown?
Wick is a brilliantly shot 17-minute short film. From beginning to end the imagery and cinematography are simply stunning. The effects are well done and successfully disturbing because the director doesn’t dwell on them or allow them to linger on screen long enough to be picked apart by the average viewer. And Ms. Price’s portrayal of Gloria is spot on. Always nice to know you can act like a crazy person and get away with it. One actress did detract a bit more from the overall quality of the film than others, but all in all the performances were decent, which is a refreshing change for most indie films.
While Wick shows incredible talent in the actual presentation, the story may be a bit more complex and chaotic for some people’s likings. This could have been intentional to show the turmoil of the protagonist, but the effectiveness might be lost on the less cerebral viewer. This movie makes you question what is real and makes you think, and we all know that some people are just not big fans of exercising their grey matter.
4 1/2 out of 5
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