Director: Christopher T. Wood
Running Time: 9 Minutes
Starring: Cheryl Bricker, Jonathan Grey, Amy Scribner
In the wake of 2020's events, filmmakers have adapted to continue working. The success story has been Rob Savage's Host, which utilised Zoom to depict a specific story, something Christopher T. Wood has done for his latest short film. As Rebecca Cascade (Cheryl Bricker) logs on for a therapy session, she's shocked to find her client, Karen, hasn't shown up. In her place is Carl (Jonathan Grey), Karen's ex, who has a few bones to pick with both the women.
The ensuing 9 minutes benefit from this back to basics approach, relying on character and conversations to drive this tight story forward. We're drip-fed the history of the key players, informing us what led to the current confrontation, and making us understand why it's reached a breaking point. It's very interesting to see unfold, as manipulative elements make themselves known, and it becomes clear what each of their goals are.
In terms of the performances, there's not a duff one among the bunch. Jonathan Grey dives headfirst into his role of Carl, playing the abusive ex pretty well. He relishes each line, delivering them with a smugness that feels key to the character. His time is spent opposite Cheryl Bricker, who captures the role of Rebecca very well. She's thrown off-balance from the moment Carl appears on-screen, but tries to work her way out of his manipulations, and Bricker depicts the characters internal planning greatly. A special mention is deserved for Amy Scribner, who does a great job with her short amount of screen-time. From attention-grabbing beginning to the fitting end, this is an impressive short-film.
LEAVE MEETING: How to commit Murder on Zoom is available to watch on YouTube. The link is attached here.
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