A Love Lost

I found ‘A Love Lost’ a refreshing subject amidst the many other comedic and dramatic films of the night, and therefore, even regardless of its excellent quality, it would have been memorable.  A story of a man who in recent years has tragically lost his wife, I feel was a bold decision, but reaped the rewards of telling a more unique story.  I found the film quite emotional, which was obviously its intent, and is a credit to all involved.  It was well cast, and very cleverly displayed the passing of time effectively, by changing as little as the man’s facial hair.  Framing of shots both static and in motion was excellent, and the various lighting, such as the candlelit dinner worked to stunning effect.  A fantastic short film, with a heartfelt message.

Pranking Frank

I feel that ‘Pranking Frank’ was the best executed comedy of the night, and set the tone of the film very early in the piece, wasting no time in revealing Frank’s mischievous craze of prank-calling, though he is not very convincing at it, until he accidentally meets another veteran prankster.  Again, the framing of shots was excellent, and stood out due to the fantastic performance of the casting choices.  I found the film a little jarring at the conclusion; I’m not sure whether this was from an acting perspective or perhaps tweaking of the script was required to more clearly demonstrate the character’s motives, but that’s being picky.  A well structured film, with good value for laughs.

The Hole

The stylistic choices of ‘The Hole’, such as the use of the almost silent, slapstick comedy, combined with the black and white picture worked perfectly.  The male actor in particular almost looks like he’s taken from that mimicked time period.  The costumes and setting of the beach and restaurant even looked incredibly European.  Again a short film with an uncomplicated plot provided a personal highlight, and although it was a ‘comedy’, it didn’t rely on its jokes to be a good film in itself.