A priest finds a local woman digging up the grave of her deceased husband in the short comedy thriller The Wages of Sin by Gunner Willis. Here are our thoughts.
It’s so refreshing and exciting to see a new talent at the start of their cinematic journey. Sometimes we are able to watch and review short films made by directors who you just know are going to go on to big things and, after watching The Wages of Sin we have no doubt that Gunner Willis can truly forge a career out of movie-making should he continue to walk the path lay ahead of him.
Shot using beautiful black and white photography, the short opens up with a pair of legs sticking out of a freshly dug grave. A group of children, who were playing ball in the cemetery, come across the scene and raise the attention of the local priest Father Ewan (Derek Evans) by continuously throwing their ball at the church door. After chasing the kids away, Father Ewan notices the legs protruding from the hole and investigates, only to find a local woman called Martha (Mary Emily Deal) asleep.
Upon waking, a frantic Martha informs Father Ewan that her recently deceased husband Donnie, has contacted her via telephone from beyond the grave and told her to dig his grave and collect a bundle of cash and valuable baseball cards or there will be trouble. Of course, Father Ewan believes Martha to be crazy, but he soon starts to change his mind as the short continues.
The Wages of Sin is such a well-made short film. From the cinematography by Andrew Bradford, who lenses the film perfectly (even throwing in a dolly zoom for good measure), to the sound design, and then to the editing by Ryan Polly. Everyone involved was certainly on their A-game when creating this throwback to 1940 matinees. Without giving too much away for any readers out there looking to give fifteen minutes of their time up to watch the short, The Wages of Sin even has some visual effects towards the finale, and even they look super polished and done well.
The Wages of Sin is a well-performed and well-made short film that will likely get plenty of awards in the near future, and will also likely help those involved move on to even bigger projects. Highly recommended.
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