By Melissa Antoinette Garza
I had the pleasure of watching the 10 minute short film Contact written and directed by Jeremiah Kipp. Interestingly, the film is able to tell a strong story without more than a couple words of dialogue.
It follows a young couple who buy drugs from a strange fellow who advises them to take it while together. At first, it makes the both of them sexually excited. Soon, the girl begins suffering from a bad trip which gives her horrifying hallucinations.
She envisions that her and her lover are connected at the mouth and cannot separate. When she pulls away her entire mouth is ripped off as well. It’s a great sequence with wonderful graphics.
Meanwhile, her parents await her return as they set the table for dinner leaving an extra plate for her.
This was a really well done production. One can easily see the heart and talent that were used to develop something so captivating. Not only was the plot interesting, but it had actors who were capable of bringing the audience in without speaking. Their characters are better known and understood than so many in mainstream films that are given line after line of dialogue.
Another great facet was the way in which it was filmed. Nowadays, when films are shot in black and white, they can come across as pretentious; especially, when it is unnecessary. Here however it was a perfect fit. The lack of color worked well with the tone, and I completely understand the motivation of filming it in that manner. A level of hopelessness and sadness was relayed so well by the movie. The shots were fantastic and helped raise the level of urgency as the main character descended into madness.
I would highly recommend seeking this out. I definitely look forward to seeing more work by Kipp. I think he certainly is going to be around for a while and I can’t wait to see what else he has to offer.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7/10
