An out-of-towner searches for his stolen luggage in the short film South Loop. Check out our review of the film, right after the jump.
Created for the 48 Hour Film Festival, South Loop tells the tale of a man who has his luggage stolen by a local crazy, which then sets him on a journey to retrieve it, meeting some strange characters along the way.
Andy (Nathaniel Elfant) was minding his own business at a bus stop, when he is picked up by a crazy driver with pink hair (Nicholas Conlon). Andy soon realises that he has made a mistake when the driver starts to make offensive remarks. Andy exits the car in order to continue his journey on foot, but the driver races off with his luggage in the trunk.
Obviously distraught, Andy then begins his trip around the town, trying to find his stolen belongings. There he meets a desperate prostitute and two dodgy looking men.
I really enjoyed the 15 minute short. It was nicely put together, especially when you think that it was made in just two days. That’s two days to write, prepare, shoot and cut. Quite remarkable. The performances from the actors are all great; you feel sorry for Elfant’s Andy and wary of the other characters.
This is where my only problem with the film lies. South Loop is described as a short comedy. I didn’t find the film funny at all; in fact I found it all quite sinister. All the characters that Andy meets along the way have a dark manner about them. I wouldn’t have been surprised if anyone of them kidnapped the main character and then proceeded to torture him. They really were quite scary in their own way. There is nothing wrong with that, in fact, I would say the film works even better when you don’t think of it as a comedy film.
The film is shot nicely, but to the keen eye, some shots look a little disjointed in quality. I’m not sure if the film was shot on two different cameras, but it looks that way in some parts. The sound is nice and clear and the dialogue is nicely written too.
South Loop is a great short film and a fantastic achievement for it to have been created in two days. Though I feel it is more of a thriller than a comedy. Well done to director Mark Peamchareon and his crew.
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