REVIEW by Peter Nichols | A
Animus is a short film by Mark J. Blackman, and it chronicles a previous time between two people, inside a present moment at the residence of Elliot. Apparently, Elliot and Sienna were in a relationship a long time before this moment. The dramatic moments in this short film are tense, and unsettling.
Why do they meet? Well a tragic occurrence has united the two strangers (old friends) and they have the choose to avoid or talk each other. Sienna drives up to Elliot’s house, who still finds it difficult to put his past with Sienna behind him. So, after years apart, the young couple talk under this quiet tragic circumstance in a tender but yet very unsettling atmosphere.
The filmmakers have made Animus available for you online
Mark, Katie and Johnny present Animus as a bittersweet dramatic structured piece about the stealth-speed at which time goes by. The filmmakers developed the script as a claustrophobic but single-location drama, where honesty is a weapon and closure is an elusive struggle.
History
Animus is a collaboration between filmmakers Mark J. Blackman (Writer & Director), Johnny Sachon (Elliot) and Katie Goldfinch (Sienna) who also double as producers of Animus, and self funded the film. The two actors had recently completed work on projects that were bold and intensive, (considering the scale of production) and both were seeking to do a project that was stripped down: not in terms of its level of design and narrative complexity but emotionally. Something raw, stripped back and emotionally honest. They got Animus and Mark J. Blackman.
Technical
The filmmakers chose to shoot Animus in a 4:3 aspect ratio, foregoing the often used 2:35:1. Mark crafted the film around two strong performances that are physically static, so this forced, oppressive ratio (4:3) will lead the audiences to focus on the characters faces and emotions at play, (the only detail in the two characters world is their emotions) the charade of honesty and lies that erupt.
Animus just won the award of Merit at the One-Reeler Short Film Competition
We love ANIMUS. Wow! I see a film with you 3 in future. ANIMUS has us on the edge of our seat. @oladapobamidele thought the world was ending #indieactivity The team @indieactivity couldn’t get off our seat in the screening room. You could cut the tension in the room with a knife
— indieactivity (@indieactivity) May 7, 2018
In Conclusion
We love ANIMUS. Wow! We see a feature film with Mark J. Blackman, Katie Goldfinch and Johnny Sachon in the near future. ANIMUS had us on the edge of our seat. We thought time stopped, the team couldn’t get off its seat in the screening room. You could cut the tension with a knife, if you walked in on us.
