Obstacle Corpse short film review
★★★★
Directed by: Hope Madden
Written by: Hope Madden
Starring: Cat McAlpine, Donovan Riley Wolfington
,,Film Review by: ,,Jason Knight
A man and a woman are attempting to complete a dangerous obstacle course! Hopefully they are both going to be OK!
The film opens in the countryside, with beautiful shots of nature. Then a man (Wolfington), who is wearing a cap’n’bells hat, appears and also a woman (McAlpine), wearing a Viking hat! The two of them are running in the woods and are about to complete a very dangerous challenge, having already gone through a variety of dangers, such as barbed wire, ice water, hurdles and mud! They are being monitored by security cameras that have been placed around in the forest! Now they need to go through the final obstacle, which is a campfire, or (as a sign nearby says) the ‘Gates of Hell’!
At first the audience is wondering what on earth is going on?! Why are those two wearing those silly hats and why are they running? And then the woman gives a few explanations, regarding the situation.
And the mise-en-scene is rather interesting, particularly the ‘Gates of Hell’ sign, the campfire and the blood on the leaves! Including the unusual hats, both characters are wearing sportswear and are dirty, indicating that they have been through a lot!
Wolfington is quite convincing as being exhausted by his ordeals, is breathing heavily and does not want to carry on! However McAlpine is arguably the one who steals the show! She is cheerful, determined, enthusiastic, swears and will not say no to a challenge! She is also more than what she seems!
Wolfington also composed the music and he did a great job! First the score is uplifting and then, towards the end it becomes quite intense, matching the situation rather accurately!
Obstacle Corpse is a short story, but a rather entertaining one, mostly thanks to McAlpine’s performance. It begins as (kind of) a comedy and then things turn sinister. It will most likely give the viewer something to remember!
#JasonKnight
https://vimeo.com/467185716
