Faces - Fantasia World Premiere (Short Film)
Director: Blake Simon
Starring: Cailyn Rice, Ethan Daniel Corbett, Emily Gateley, Natalie De Vincentiis
Written by: Blake Simon
Produced by: Liz Holland, Jared Selcer
Cinematography by: Andrew Fronczak
Original Score by: Daniel Ciurlizza
Synopsis:
A mysterious entity's search for identity turns deadly when a group of college students unknowingly get too close.
Thoughts:
Blake Simon's magnificent short film 'Faces' wasn't on my radar prior to the festival but I couldn't have been more appreciative in discovering it. What starts out as a standard body-snatching type horror goes somewhere I wasn't quite expecting.
Bridget Henson has gone missing and her college acquaintenaces don't seem too bothered. But soon their minds turn to something else on a dark and dreary evening; a fraternity party at Brad's house. He's the local jock and for all intents and purposes, a pretty repulsive human being. Samantha and Jess are joined by Margaret and her cousin Judy, who is visiting from out of town. But before they hit the party Judy is confronted by someone, or something, that turns the groups night on its head.
Blake Simon's previous short film projects have earned him awards before and you can see why. He is meticulous in his direction and his purposefully slow and silent storytelling techniques speaks volumes. There's a really well shot and superbly executed scary sequence involving some awesome body contortion and red lighting.
Taking it's cues from Jonathan Glazer's distressing 'Under the Skin' and maybe even a little bit from the Natasha Henstridge 1995 sci-fi thriller'Species', Simon's short film explores the search for identity. The need to know what's really inside and what's really looking to get out. It might even work as an analogy for suppressed sexuality or gender definition. But what I know it definitely is, is a beautifully layered and absorbing piece of filmmaking.
Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Gavin Logan
'Faces' received it's World Premiere at Fantasia '24 on July 31st
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