REVIEW: by Peter Nichols | 3 of 5 Stars
Logline
Tammy discovers one night that her shopping addiction might become the death of her… Consumed is a darkly comedic horror short film written and directed by JP Bradham, starring Georgina Reilly.
Introduction
As a society, we’ve created, at least in the Western world, this “instant gratification” for everything and we’ve continued to focus or rely on material objects for our happiness in life. But, the more we order, the more we need to chase that feeling again. It’s a micro to what happens with heavier forms of addiction and it is fascinating that corporations have created all of these methods for turning a person into a consumer. This film explores those ideas and what happens when the consumer becomes the consumed.
Review
The patterns of form and style in Consumed will hold the attention of an audience . It is cinematic, inducing a fresh take on a horror short film-form through its clever mix of genres. Plus, it is a light comedy, which make it enjoyable. It employs cinematic traditions of painting with light to create mood or feeling. Its cinematography and production design unify to set the tone, rhythm of a home, filled with sadness, loss, longing for a connection, and a foreshadowing horror, with a brief gore.
The Official Trailer for Consumed by JP Bradham
The Shining, Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece resurrected in Consumed. JP Bradham turned a famous scene on its head. Instead of having the wife defend herself from the husband, it is the husband who comes after the wife with the knife. Only this time, JP Bradham chose to allow the audience decide what happens at fade out. Like the horse head in the Godfather, the knife is centre and key to Consumed. It induces the surrealism that awakens Tammy, but drowns her husband. The “flicker-ing” theme in the movie is a reminder of cinema’s illusion machines, like the zoetrope, where films earned its name to “flicker” or flick.
The director’s storytelling technique progresses in a frame by frame fashion. Each shot connects to the next, and brings the thought of the character closer or farther from the audience. The audience can see inside Tammy’s mind to feel her dilemma, or the use of color and costume to enjoy her sweet delightfulness. The audience will instantly feel Tammy’s addiction. Her withdrawal fueled by an intention to stay in wonderland. We discover a death in the family removed her joy, and replaced it with an addiction.
Consumed is a delightful dark comedic short, that leaves you tender and shocked.
Conclusion
A fresh take on horror shorts. It is enjoyable. The tone, rhythm of the story fills you with a mix of gloom, sadness, missing connection, horror, delight and a smile. It will thrust the audience into a period familiar to 80s moviegoer. I enjoyed the mix of genres of drama, comedy, horror (which I am not a fan), and surrealism.
Writer & Directed: JP Bradham
Cast
Georgina Reilly as Tammy
Matthew Brondin as Hubby
Shaw Jones
Dierdre Devlin
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