‘Sedition’
12, 4 ½ minutes, distributed via the internet, available from April 20th
Starring Jazelle Johnson, Jess White, Natasha Arcuelo, Joshua Wade
In this film the title ‘sedition’ compliments the film in the sense of there being drama involved as it has the meaning of trouble making. This physiological thriller directed by Sophie Copsey combines the idea of someone seeking revenge with a twist of there being madness, with the underline serious issue of the main character suffering from a serious mental health condition.
The film is based on a female who is left heart broken when realising that the man she thought was deeply in love with her has in fact been unfaithful. However this is no ordinary storyline as this woman deals with her emotions very differently to the average female, and sets out to plan and get her own back with the clever idea of having a good and bad conscious whirling around inside her, leaving the audience at the edge of their seats, intrigued to find out what crazy idea she has next. The character Megan (Jazelle Johnson) captures and locks away her cheating beloved in the boot of her car with her thought to be friends Charlie (Jess White) and Catherine (Natasha Arcuelo) who are constantly persuading Megan in to what she should do, whether it being good or bad. These two characters are later revealed to be non existent and just part of Megan’s imagination. The character Megan will leave the audience with their own opinions which will be debatable, as the role she plays is controversial, however she does manage to get sympathy with the her having a mental illness.
The film is clever and executed well with the structure, as it involves the idea of having a double cycle which goes over the story twice with the second time revealing the unexpected and a different view on the storyline. The idea of finding out that the leading character is mentally ill gives off the idea that anything can now happen, therefore leaving the audience excited and making them want to watch it until the end to see what the intentions are of this infuriated heart broken female, and to see what she is capable of and what dilemma she will get herself in to.
The film itself is dominated by an all female cast including Jazelle Johnson, Jess White and Natasha Arcuelo who are the only actors, apart from the short two shots of the male victim who is played by Joshua Wade. Although these actors are not that well known, they take their role in the film very seriously when it comes to getting in to character and give off a believable performance. The audience then surprisingly start to feel sympathy towards the main character Megan when ideally she should be seen as an unpredictable, mentally ill woman who is committing a crime.
The different techniques used throughout this film gives it justice and makes it more appealing. The soundtrack idea is a beautiful choice of song. An instrumental piece carried out on the piano, which gives the film that emotional element which really captures the viewers hearts. The music also changes to a more thriller type sound, which compliments and gives off the codes and conventions of the genre, which would be expected by the audience. The editing is cleverly thought of by adding in shaky effects to images to give off an edgy look and to go with the idea of the leading character having mental issues. Also the use of slow motion and quick edit shots adds to this effect and makes the film more visually interesting to watch.
If you loved the classic films ‘Fatal Attraction’ and ‘Sixth Sense’ then this is the film to go and see. With the use of an all female cast and the main character as a strong leading lady this is definitely aimed more towards a more female audience as the film is unsurprisingly not taken over by male roles. As this film is being distributed on the internet there will be easy access when wanting to watch it and can be seen by anyone who has the possession of a computer, however this short film is not suitable for children under the age of twelve as the certification is marked as a 12 film.
The film itself does have a negative on the area around the cost in making and putting the film together, as its obvious to see that film was on a low budget, however if there had been more money put into the process of making the film it could of turned out even better. Overall the film is a success despite the small issue surrounding the funding and that can be dismissed as the simplicity throughout the short film does work and still gives off a good affect due to the great efforts put in by a talented director.
Intriguing storyline, good British talent, expect the unexpected, defiantly one to see.
No comments:
Post a Comment