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The work set for review is Shaackled a short horror film, barely over 11 minutes long from British advent of the genre, which is far from familiarity as evidenced by the work slated for review. Nour Wazzi’s approach to both screenwriting and capturing unique stories on the camera is definitely refreshing & indeed, tends to wander a little, but it does not get lost while avoiding the narration of the story. Razi’s film compliments exploitation horror cinema by focusing on characterization and imagery rather than guts and screams. As the rest of the indie works, it is very refreshing, with outstanding editing, impressive sound design, good camera work alongside the superb acting.
The narrative, or moving images, it is built upon is something we tend not captivate around and lets you down with how uninteresting it is. Imagine your worst nightmare, where a man aims for the camera and starts defining the psychological terror which is followed by a woman getting shot & screams ripping from her body. If I was to describe a woman being freed from the bonds of a circus, it is like this. It is these images which make up the first scenes of Wazzi’s short horror which seeks to answer if a woman can truly win over her inner demons. More accurately I would prefer to describe a woman behind the camera, attempting to blend suspense, cinematography and plot in an exploration of emotions unleashed.
While there are no character names mentioned in the film, one can say that Clarke captures her blossoming thriller essence in a woman named Malu who becomes the center of the eerie plot. Hadley Fraser appears only for a cameo as the husband for Malu with a fear of losing her, which she ends up accepting. speaking of wedded bliss meets emptiness. Finally, he is left in a state of agitated anticipation to question if the two will indeed meet.
Both actors shine in this dramatization that requires very little speech. Clarke is certainly no stranger to a breeding population of ‘Game of Thrones’ fans as Daenerys Targaryen, or as other fans like to call her, “The Mother of Dragons.” Even in this show, the character she plays is strong and in charge, but here she is more terrified, shaken, and all by herself. While wandering about dark circus terrain and uninhabited lands, her fear is ineffectively depicted through her muddled facial expressiveness. Clarke’s performance of her role is greatly commendable.
Fraser as well, who has a broad scope in television works including as an officer from the 2012 Movie Les Miserables, is convincing in his single solitary scene. His performance was quite commendable and he was captivating on screen, though I would have loved to see him appear more, but in a film like this that is quite unlikely. He gives his wife a piece that looks like a locket and sets her off on the quest.
The cinematography in this film is done by Sam Care, and he does an excellent job. Care has a portfolio filled with shorts, such as the 2008 “Open Secrets,” and 2010’s “Nightswimming,” and it shows here. And Clarke’s initial step out for some fresh air is hands down my favorite shot in the film she is being chased while running through clothes hanging from a line. There is commotion and chatter, and I instantly pictured a carnival without ever glancing at the film’s synopsis. With images and various angles and zooms, Care is the strongest asset to this film.
Using pianos, bright music boxes and melancholic violins, “Shackled” incorporates standard horror sounds like low drones and intertwines with an effective score. I have experienced this kind of umph before in films like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” but the soundtrack here is coupled with horrific feeling, and jelousy, and dread. The feeling of horror is palpable throughout “Shackled.”
As I mentioned, the film is rather inconclusive because we, the viewers, do not ever learn how Malu landed on a particular terrain or where it is she is trying to escape to. On several occasions, she stumbles upon a backpack, and at one point, even spots a man ‘s figure in the background, but we do not understand these scenes either. The end is where everything seems ambiguous and bizarre while the painting like imagery is majestic, as the scene looks like a impressionist painting.
Either way, it is difficult to pinpoint any single issue in this film. The filmmaking in question is really good, as it is mostly pictures, and as such lends itself to fast viewing and is fairly smooth. It is a nice work from Wazzica and the group and while some more frames and explanations would improve the film, it did win a Golden Palm Award at the International Film Festival held in Mexico.
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