Reviews
It all begins when Tony Han, a former detective, receives a “Seal of Death” letter threatening his honour and life, and he travels to New York to track down the person responsible, Shang Lee, the Yakuza’s leader. He joins forces with NYPD Captain Winnie Ford, Marcus’s sister, and together they devise a plan to permanently stop Shang Lee.
The cinematography is excellent and in sync with the pace of the film. The camera movements and shots chosen by the directors effectively convey the film’s sense of suspense and action. The sound design also contributes to the movie’s mood and the feeling of waiting.
Even externally acquired images of New York, with the right editing and the director’s choices, we can’t tell the difference. The performance of all of the actors is intense and convincing, creating a high level of tension.
The well-designed scenery and the monochromatic colour scheme throughout the entire movie effectively conveying a strong sense of dark atmosphere.
Because of all of these elements, we get the impression that the director is very conscious of the language used, revealing a remarkable talent in the Thriller genre.
Harris Josey is an award-winning writer/director based in Birmingham, Alabama. He earned a BA in Media Production from Birmingham Southern College. Harris has directed short films such as “The Seal of Death 死” and “The Big Shave” after graduating. He has worked on commercial projects for companies such as “Beach Better Co.” and “Reno Refractories, Inc.”.
THE SEAL OF DEATH 2 was awarded Best Thriller and Best Trailer at the Cine Paris Film Festival’s June 23 monthly edition.
The costumes are modern and casual. The tone of the film is intimate, and the actor is directed in a very direct and authentic manner. It appears that the director, who also wrote the script, is very familiar with the theme of this film, and even though it is an uncomfortable subject to address, the director is able to do so in a very elegant and sometimes ironic manner. All of these elements combine to make this film resemble neorealistic ones.
Alexandre Bedenko’s first film as a director is “The Typical Day of an Effective Jobseeker.” The movie depicts the ordinary life of a 55-year-old job seeker who lives with debt, divorced, without friends, and has trouble communicating in French due to his accent. He decides to follow the advice of a poster that provides, hour by hour, the ideal day for a job seeker, hoping that he will finally be able to find work.
As in a documentary, the camera remains still in the main character’s home or follows him throughout the day. Anton Kiva’s cinematography is very natural and authentic, without special effects and studio lighting.
Vladimir Bedenko, the actor and producer, delivers intense and realistic performances. Also, the dialogue appears to be lifted from real life.
Even though the film is low-budget, we can see the director’s strong talent in dealing with reality, and we eagerly await his next project.
Alexandre Bedenko was born in the Soviet Union in 1990, and his family immigrated to France, where he remained stateless until 2009, when he obtained French nationality. In 2016, he graduated as a film director from VGIK (Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography).
The Typical Day of an Effective Jobseeker won Best Actor Feature Film in the Cine Paris Film Festival monthly competition in February 2023.
Screenwriter, director, and cinematographer, she earned her MFA in Film Directing at Skillset Screen Academy in Scotland. Born in Madrid, Spain, she currently lives in Brussels, Belgium. In 2010, she was nominated for the BAFTA Scotland New Talent Award. Following that, she attended various international workshops for directing narrative films at NYU, Sundance Shorts Lab, Cineuropa.org, Prague Film School, London Film School, and Maine Media Workshops. Also, she studied cinematography at the Global Cinematography Institute. Aside from narrative drama and dark comedy, she also makes audiovisual poems and documentaries. The stories she feels drawn to writing and directing are heavily character-driven, and the audiovisual world she builds around them often has a thin line between the real and the surreal.
She described the film as a period piece lasting 18 minutes. This is a dark, surreal drama. This is a story of unrequited love, self-acceptance, and the limits of the mind.”
The story is set in late-1800s Europe, and the story revolves around Oscar, a wealthy but lonely middle-aged man living in an extravagant chateau filled with wine, courtesans, and opium who confesses his love for his gardener Jude before he dies of his excesses.
The director masterfully builds a dark atmosphere through cinematography, costumes, and set design, as well as the direction of the lead actors.
The acting of the main characters is always believable and intense, especially that of Al Nazemian as Oscar.
Another strong point of FOR I AM DEAD is its script. There is a minimal amount of dialogue, but it is always effective. In the way, the story is told, we can infer that the main theme is treated very personally, delicately, and never in a banal way.
As a last strong point, David Feral’s sound design creates a strong expressionistic effect. The unusual use of sound, often going out of sync, as well as some jump cuts emphasize Jude’s duality, and highlight Oscar’s loss of sanity, as he can’t distinguish between what’s real and what’s not.
As a result of all these aspects, this short film shows Patricia Delso Lucas’ talent.
We look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.
Congratulations to all the cast and crew!
TIMELESS LOVE is a Dance short film by Breton Tyner-Bryan.
The story is about a man who surrenders to his love for a woman, who becomes his inspiration for stepping into his heart and loving freely. The man’s energy is initially inward, expressing an internal emotional wound. His vast home represents his feelings of isolation and emptiness. The moment the woman appears, he begins to open up physically and emotionally until he finally finds freedom in his expression of love through dance. This style of dance is based on the traditional Viennese Waltz but expressed in the ballroom style of American Smooth dancing. It is a style of dance that alternates between lead-follow roles, with both partners leading occasionally. Characters dance in a Chateau ballroom, embodying life’s timeless love through dance.
It’s a very well chosen location, an isolated villa with a beautiful garden, that represents the loneliness of the protagonist without the woman.
In a time when everything is screaming, TIMELESS LOVE tells this story in a very intimate way. This short film can be described as having an old-fashioned mood, which is so important to preserve.
Travis Tuft (World & National Ballroom Theatrical/Cabaret Champion, American Smooth Showdance Champion, American Smooth Ballroom Finalist, Blackpool Championship Silver Medalist) directs this superb choreography.
Dominick Sivilli’s cinematography tells this story through the colors of the feelings.
The editing is fluid and delicate, following the rhythm of the music by Breton Tyner-Bryan. As the frames roll by, the editing disappears behind them. It is a truly engaging pace. Similarly, the costume choice fits the narrative of the dance short.
There is a great deal of intensity and believable acting throughout the film from both actors. As a result of combining all of the elements we mentioned, we are able to build a dreamlike atmosphere as well as a story of intense love with a taste of ancient times.
Through this dance short film called TIMELESS LOVE, we can still dream about being passionate like the main character.
As the director explained: “Timeless Love shows how love is used as a universal tool to reconnect once failed relationships.”. Due to the suspended belief in time, we are able to observe the interchanging power plays between the two lead characters, culminating in an equal union through dance.”
This is a very well-made short film directed by Breton Tyner-Bryan. As a filmmaker, director, choreographer, and actor, Breton Tyner-Bryan has been featured at the Barcelona International Film Festival, Madrid International Film Festival, World Independent Cinema Nice, France, World London Film Festival, La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival, New York Shorts International Film Festival, Big Apple Film Festival, CANIFFF, ASVOFF, Flickfair, Jellyfest, and International LGBTQ Shorts Festival. Upcoming releases include SHACKLED, TIMELESS LOVE, INVICTA, and WEST OF FRANK.
Film festival Cine Paris awarded TIMELESS LOVE Best Dance Film (Short) in April’s monthly competition.