Film Review: Canary (short film)

REVIEW:

More short films, kiddies! Today we have CANARY, written by Sarah Walker and T.J. Burke, directed by T.J. Burke.

Ms. Walker also stars in this film as a woman living on a beautiful country estate who discovers that the woodshed seems to have magical properties. Each time she enters, the shed puts her out somewhere else, giving gifts such as money and and jewelry. Even a picnic at one point.

Seems too good to be true, and she can’t resist entering the woodshed again and again to see what comes next. Alas, the adventures start to take a very dark turn. And all those gifts seem to be clues to what is actually going on.

This was really good. There’s no explaination for the powers of the shed, but I don’t suppose we really need one. Over the course of the film, we do get a better understanding of what’s going on if not a full reveal of the reasons why. And that’s ok, honestly.

This reminds me of a lot of the science fiction short stories I used to read when I was a kid. Stories that didn’t always explain everything, didn’t always give backstory or closure, but were entrancing all the same. Now this is a horror story, not sci-fi, just to be clear. Although I suppose one could read elements of that genre in the film.

Made for a budget of about 500 dollars and shot on location in beautiful Martha’s Vineyard, there is a dream-like quality to the overall look of the film. Production value is high, wonderful use of lighting and angles.

Appropos of nothing perhaps that T.J. Burke is best known for visual effects and digital work on films such as The Avengers, Skyfall, and Black Panther among many, many others. Obviously a good eye for the screen and it shows in the cinemaphotography in this film, for which T.J. Burke is also credited.

I really enjoyed this one, kiddies. I think you’ll like it, too.