Thursday, June 02, 2011

The Shortround: Grinning Faces (Review)

Well we haven't had The Shortround in a while. But thanks to Noah Tilsen, director of the short Grinning Faces we've solved that problem. It's not often I get a short soaked in blood, sex and is a total mind fuck. But Grinning Faces is a jolt of all that in a packed 30 minutes.

So what's this about?

Enter Hero’s world. Is he living his life, or is someone writing it for him? Dreams and reality bleed into debauched sex, Sadomasochism, violence and murder.

Once you view GRINNING FACES you will be changed. You will want to bathe yourself, but it will only be in vain. The grime herein cannot simply be washed off in a shower, for it permeates underneath the skin, into the psyche and the soul.

the jaded viewer says: Echoing the self awareness of Wes Craven's Scream but more so New Nightmare, Grinning Faces takes a trip into the horror writer's bizarre psyche. The short is introduced like a Herschell Gordon Lewis tale of the macabre. Our boy named Hero is kinda crazy. As he wrestles with violent thoughts he converses with a writer who seemingly is writing the story we are now witnessing. He tells Hero details of his story which Hero acts out.

Later he meets a suicidal girl just as crazy as he is and they begin a relationship filled with sex, violence and overall twisted graphic insanity. A hobo gets thrown in and the viewer is left with an impression that not all is what it seems.

Lots of shorts I get are filled with your standard template of beginning, middle and bloody end. I've never witnessed a short that actually questions the order of those 3. Grinning Faces has moments of WTF with imagery and silly acting intertwined. Clearly this would work well as a black comedy than a straightforward extreme horror-core. But it's not dull and has plenty of gratuitous nudity to keep your eyes wide open.

I kind of saw the short as The Writer conversing with one of his characters. What would that be like? As a writer myself, I'd like to think it would be most enjoyable. Who has the moral compass when evil is done? The man behind the curtain or his soldier on the ground?

The ending goes all ambiguous but Grinning Faces is a sleek tale of the macabre. An indie short that realizes the audience loves to see twisted shit but also likes to question what they've seen.

Want to watch the short? Check it out by GOING TO THE OFFICIAL SITE.

Check out the below for more info.
Check out the trailer.


Grinning Faces -Full Trailer from landosystem on Vimeo.


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