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Review: Withered (2013) [Short]

Withered

WITHERED is a moody and meditative short by Sean T. Hyde’s Ghost Star Productions. Low (or no) budget and high concept, it is shot entirely on a Canon 5D MKII it turns out quite well. Interesting angles and an eye for blocking allow the story to unfold at a natural and subdued pace. WITHERED feels like a suburban pastoral for lack of a better term and the wet and grey Ohio weather lends itself greatly to establishing the required mood. This short would have quite a different atmosphere should the day of filming been less dismal. The music maintains the tone set by the rain with and is so well synced it would seem to have been written for the piece and wasn’t instead available for use on the Internet Archive. As for acting, the lead Susan M. Martin, effectively runs the gamut of human emotion and effectively expresses it with nothing more than her countenance.

The subdued quality of the film belies the cognitive dissonance the viewer will feel by the end of the brief run time. There is nothing over-the-top or anything that would telegraph the moment when WITHERED pulls an Argento-like break with normalcy and the menace of the mundane comes into focus. At least with the viewer’s reality because when the realization of what is actually going on hits home its more than a tad unsettling.

Check it out. Its a moody and viscous little flick and you can see it here: https://vimeo.com/59378497

Posted simultaneously on Slashers, Starlets and Sleaze https://www.ssshorrorreviews.net/2013/02/indie-flix-withered-2013.html

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