Film Review: Box Room (short film) (2014)

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SYNOPSIS:

Jerry is a strange and solitary boy who lives with his young neglectful mother in a run down apartment. He spends his weekends hidden away in his bedroom making model figurines and watching TV alone.

REVIEW:

Yet another short film, kiddies! Today we have a film from Ireland called BOX ROOM, written by Michael Lathrop and David Lester Mooney and directed by Michael Lathrop. This film was an official selection for the 2014 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas.

Our story opens on a young lad named Jerry (David Joseph Magee). He spends his days shuttered into his room in his run-down apartment, and his nights trying not to listen to his mom (Erika McGann) as she “entertains” her gentleman callers.

After breaking a full length mirror and removing it from the wall to repair, he notices a wet spot in the plaster behind where the mirror was. He checks it out, pulling away some of the plaster, and discovers something a bit…unusual.

There is SOMETHING behind the wall, and it’s apparently female. Trust me…there’s no denying what we see. Totally girl parts, ok? Jerry being a curious young lad and what with this opportunity right there for the taking…

Yes, he has sex with the wall. Well, more to the point, with whatever is behind the wall. This sort of thing has consequences without the whole “alien in a wall” factor, and Jerry soon learns exactly what the wages of his sin will be.

So let’s talk special effects. The alien is amazing. Seriously, there’s no mistaking what we’re looking at, and yet there is a terrifying level of design that makes it something else at the same time.

The alien was designed by Mr. Lathrop, but creation of the beast was accomplished by Lora Maurico & John Berry, along with Sam Lambert. Ms. Maurico is a young make up and effects artist from Dublin who will have an incredible career in front of her if this film is any indication of her capabilities. The alien will really weird you out, make you uncomfortable, and very likely make you gag a little. It’s beautiful.

The cast are quite good in this as well. It takes some talent to hold your own on screen with such a formidable creation, and young Mr. Magee does that in spades.

So using my special short scale of one to five, five being awesome, I’m giving this film 5 aliens.