0 Feet Away was submitted to me through social media and I was able to view it on Dailymotion last night. The concept was interesting to me when I first received it. As far as technology is concerned, the world is constantly changing and new technology is popping up on a monthly basis. For many homosexual men across the globe, an app called Grindr is the best way to exchange dirty pictures, schedule hookups, or just make virtual pen pals with guys based on distance measured in feet. Almost how Skypemare took video chatting to the extreme late last year, 0 Feet Away takes the world of online hookups and turns it on its head.
Another interesting thing about 0 Feet Away is that the protagonist, the one we’re supposed to feel for is a thin gay man. It’s almost the complete opposite of the usual horror film protagonist – the busty, blonde female. This is a reversal of a different kind, and honestly, one that should be encouraged. Anything that breaks the traditional mold should be applauded, whether it has the biggest budget or best actors or not. Is Max Cutler (who plays Chase) the best actor in the world? No. He’s decent, but more importantly he’s the start of a new generation of actors willing to take risks to advance cinema. And he does so with his hands down his pants.
It’s the real life suspense behind 0 Feet Away that makes it appealing to the film festival circuit. While using a gay meet-up app is lost on a large part of the population, the fear of a blind date from the internet going bad is a real fear for everyone who’s ever used online dating sites or apps. Is this person going to rob me? Is this person going to rape me? Is this person going to kill me? Or, as far as 0 Feet Away is concerned, is this person going to stalk the Hell out of me? That’s why I think this short film can do decent at film festivals, so maybe people will get a chance to check it out in the future.
I know my review has been positive thus far, but I need to keep it honest for now. 0 Feet Away leaves a lot to be desired in terms of production quality. The script is slow at points. The lighting, especially at night, is sometimes a little off. There is an editing issue or two. It’s clear to me that 0 Feet Away is a low budget, independent film from an aspiring director. I can’t knock Frank “Fox” Clark for not having a perfectly polished short film, but I do wish to make him knowledgeable of his product’s faults in hopes of improving in the future. I think, to some extent, more time was put into inserting the app pop ups in post-production than exploring what the camera and its master can do together.
With all this said, I’m going to rate 0 Feet Away a 5.2 out of 10. It has an intriguing concept and is a step in the right direction toward exploring new character molds. It’s the slow pacing, uneventful ending, and sometimes problematic production quality that knocks it down a few pegs. Still, it’s far from horrible.
