Director – Andrews Dev Clarson
Starring – Saheer Mohammed and Vishal Jadhav
Release Date – 2024
Rating – 3/5
My Dark Red Film Festival marathon is moving along with my fourth short so far and this time it comes from India. I haven’t reviewed a lot of films from India over the years but I am very familiar with it especially the Bollywood horror efforts and not to forget that one of my favorite zombie films, The Dead 2, takes place in India.
I knew this wasn’t going to be like either of those that I previously mentioned and that actually excited me. A straight forward horror film from India was something I didn’t realize I needed. Before I jump into my review for Another Short Film About Killing from director Andrews Dev Clarson, I want to thank the Dark Red Film Festival for sending this one over.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows an old man who is a shut in with his dog. However, one day his dog gets ahold of a kitten and kills it. The kitten’s teenage owner is devasted by the loss of his kitten and sets out for revenge with bloody results. **Spoiler Alert**
Another Short Film About Killing is nothing like I was expecting and I loved that. The film is more of a dark thriller with a lot of blood and I’m completely fine with that. It was very rich with story and character development while still keeping the run time very short.
The acting in this one is great which is surprising when you consider how little dialogue is actually spoken. One of the many reasons this was an effective short is because even though there is a language barrier, the dialogue is such a small part of the film. Instead, we are given silent performances where the cast showcases emotions through their facial expressions and actions. It’s a fantastic cast and this works very well at helping the viewer follow without following subtitles closely.
The story for this one is was nothing like I was expecting. From looking at the poster and title I was expecting a film where a child murdered meets an actual murderous child. Instead, the story we get is full of character development which I really enjoy. While I would have loved a definitive ending, the open ending we do get works for the way the film was shot.
Finally, the film has a lot of blood during the end. It’s not a gory flick but the “death” is done in such a way that you really absorb the violence without seeing it. It was a beautiful shot and that scene will stick with you for days after watching it. Overall, Another Short Film About Killing is a well done genre short that doesn’t have a body count but has a lot of passion behind it. It’s so well put together and the cast is fantastic. I highly recommend this one.
