Film Review: Pigskin (short film) (2015)

SYNOPSIS:

A high school cheerleader faces a grisly manifestation of her self-deprecating inner demons.

REVIEW:

More short films, kiddies! Today we have PIGSKIN, directed by Jake Hammond and written by jake Hammon and Nicola Newton.
This short was made through the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts, so I’m going out on a limb to say this is a student production.

The story focuses on a pretty young cheerleader named Laurie (Isadora Leiva), a young girl having extreme body issues. Many young girls go through that, of course, but Laurie has really taken it to another level. She not only purges (vomits) to try and stay thin, but she has also resorted to cutting and binding. She is so disgusted by her own body that it’s taken over every aspect of her daily life.

Can’t have a cheerleader with out a sports hero boyfriend, right?  Glenn (Pablo Gonzalez) isn’t her boyfriend, but he wants to be. Laurie would love that, too. When Glenn invites her swimming she begins to panic. Hiding her shameful secret is more important than anything, so what can she do?

I know this description sounds a bit like an after school special, but I can assure you that is not the case. This is merely the backdrop for some serious psychological horror. The film takes this story to a different place, and the conclusion of the tale was definitely not what I expected.

The film looks like it was made in 1980s, right down to the credit scroll fonts and the choice of score. The opening credits feature a song by The Chromatics, a band that does an incredible job of reproducing the dreamy, emo synth-pop sounds of the early 80s. it’s the perfect launching point for the story.

Using my special short scale of one to five, five being awesome, I’m giving this film 4 stars.