'Over'

Over (2015), A short film based on a story from 2012 about a man who was found dead seemingly out of nowhere, and the mystery surrounding what happened that day.

Narrative -

The film starts at night, in a small village. The narrative is interestingly, in reverse, and it works really well. It made me and others constantly switch up our theories of what happened/what is going on and also gives a perspective of how this incident was analysed by the police, by looking in reverse and the evidence shown on the table.

Micro Elements -

The camera is stationary throughout, as though we, the audience are there observing what is going on. It feels alienating to be so distant from what is going on and also makes the event, in some ways, feel insignificant. The distance from which we view the scene could allude to how distant everyone is to the incident and how little impact it really has despite how tragic it is.

Overall Thoughts -

I really liked this film a lot, initially I felt unsure about whether I really liked it but ultimately came to appreciate it much more. I loved the slow pacing which led to the deceased man's reveal and it made it all the more impactful. For my screenplay, I think the lack of dialogue won't be helpful, but if I were producing a short film, it would prove really effective. So instead, perhaps the focus on a single area changing over time could work really well.