Short Film Review: ‘Thewlis' (2022)
Never give a ride to a stranger; that very trope that has laden the genre for quite some time— and it isn’t much different here. However, the pure devastation of Thewlis isn’t territory that a majority of filmmakers attempt to materialize.
★★½
Thriller (28 minutes)
dir. Richard Russell
Starring: Joseph Moreland, Allison Marie Rogers, Kyle Shaw, & Brett Voina
“After a verbal argument with his daughter, tortured Mike decides to give a stranger a life to the nearest town. During the long night drive, the stranger doesn't seem to be all there.”
— Official Synopsis
Never give a ride to a stranger; that very trope that has laden the genre for quite some time— and it isn’t much different here. However, the pure devastation of Thewlis isn’t territory that a majority of filmmakers attempt to materialize. For these kinds of bold swings, the film marks an intriguing watch.
The short format, specifically, works really well in the context of the story being told in Thewlis. From the moody, black-and-white atmosphere to Eric Hatten’s grunge influence on the soundtrack. The plot is simple, granting more time for the audience to paint a narrative of each character in their mind. Surprisingly, the short spends more time focused on how character’s react and respond to one another—providing an excellent space to cultivate thrilling tension further in the narrative.
The performances are grounded without being overly dramatic or feeling too scripted, compensating for a relatively basic script. Brett Voina (Thewlis) and Allison Marie Rogers (Shelby), in particular, really involve themselves in their characters and make the situation that much more terrifying. Russel steadily paces the film to maximize the impact of the outcome by the time the credits roll. But not everything comes together quite as cohesively as his latest film, It’ll Be Okay (2023).
Throughout the 28 minutes, perhaps the most notable indication of this comes from the sound mix and edit. One scene reintroduces the opening track before the non-diegetic music abruptly ends between a transition. The screen then goes black for a split second until the beginning of the next scene. While it clearly was intentional, it appeared to be a simple mistake at first glance. Secondly, there is persistent fragmentation of audio due to a variety of different shot perspectives in a single take.
Outside of those minor issues, Russel’s work behind the camera compliments the ferocity of the story. He seems to have a knack for handheld camera operation which is inspiring due to the difficulty of being consistent. Thewlis released on Halloween last year and it certainly used the date to its fullest advantage. It may not be the most pleasing watch, but there’s plenty to admire about the film.
You can find the full short here on YouTube.