Winter Film Awards 2023: Bloody Sunday (Part 1)
Day Two at the 2023 Winter Film Awards saw us back at Cinema Village for Bloody Sunday. This meant on Sunday it was horror films all day long. We was in for a treat as we got to see some brilliant horror short films and spooky characters to match.
The first film we saw this Sunday was The Call of Water directed by Kaya Tone is set in the Rocky Mountains where Nadia gets high off mushrooms the night before she sells her childhood home. She faces a character titled The Horned One who tries to scare Nadia in her dreams as she makes the tough decision of whether she should sell her home or not. The movie is a great mind bender as Nadia tries to determine what's reality or not and is it worth it. It's a decent plot and the performances were decent but it didn't fear us through the environmental themes plotting through the film. Love You Forever is the next film. It's about two sisters who warped back and forth in time and space to show how strong their love for each other. The main characters (sisters in real life) give the viewers a insight in how a space can affect one's ability to think accordingly. The scenes in the film were really good mind bending as the sisters try to navigate through twist and turns. Love You Forever is more psychological than horror if you are into mind trips this is a great one.
My Left Arm is probably the best short horror film of the block. It is a throwback to classic spirit abduction films from decades past. Malorie, a working mother suffers a stroke and throughout her recovery she encounter a book of magic which cast a evil spirit into her body. The acting was great and the effects was amazing. The scenes where Malorie's left arm starts to control her movements are great. A traditional horror suspense film adapted for today's world. We truly enjoyed the film, just wish it wasn't a short film. Meantime was next and it is a short film about Marc who goes to the countryside to be fit and healthy while waiting on his girlfriend. As he continues to wait he descend into the silence and the sounds of nature gets louder as he continues to maintain his routine. The film is a bit of a drag as Marc trains and trains as the countryside gets quiet. The monsters of the woods were not as scary as we thought. Not a good horror story.
Instincts is another short film which is more psychological but frightening due to the subject matter. Sam(the main character) dress up as a man who walks home but encounters predators (wearing animal masks) who wants attacks on weak prey. In order to get home safely she must face riddles to advance. The film uses the Director's experiences along with experiences where women are assaulted on their way home because of predatory behavior. The director, Israa Al-Kamali made sure that the audience got the correlation between predators ( human beings and animals) and how each one can make women terrified and be terrifying. A great mix of fright and human rights issues. Definitely a enjoyable film to watch.