Why Haven’t They Fixed The Cameras Yet? short film review
★★★★
Directed by: Travis White
Written by: Travis White
Starring: Lee Eddy, Lukas King
Film Review by: Jason Knight
A woman finds herself alone in a car park, with limited lighting and the security camera is broken and useless, hanging by a cable. She is rather annoyed by the fact that there is no CCTV to make her feel safe.
The woman (Eddy) has just left a Christmas party that took place at her workplace. She notices that the camera that monitors the car park is out of order. That makes her angry and afraid, because she believes that now people with bad intentions have nothing to fear. She reaches a parked car and gets in and then she starts thinking about her boss Devon (King), who she seriously dislikes, considering him to be an obnoxious, womanizing man, who has no respect for women.
This thriller has a creepy atmosphere and also contains humour, elements of horror and a surprise, shocking ending.
The narrative focuses on two subjects: the outrage of having faulty security cameras and how much the heroine despises Devon. The words the audience hears throughout the film are provided by her voice-over, which describe in detail how she heels about the lack of operational cameras and Devon’s behaviour.
Eddy delivers a strong performance as an individual who is afraid of being by herself and at the same time has serious issues with her boss. King is convincing as a happy, successful person.
The script is well written and contains a twist. Before the twist is revealed in the end, the viewer assumes that the woman has entered the car park, because she wants to enter her vehicle and drive home. However, later on it is disclosed that she actually has different intentions.
The narrative is nonlinear. It begins with the woman reaching the car park and entering a car and later cuts back to her exiting the elevator and stepping into the car park and again walking towards the car, this time shown from different angles than before. It then cuts to a flashback, which shows the office party she was attending earlier. The film then cuts back to her in the car, waiting. It should be noted that the flashback provides crucial clues regarding why she goes to the car park in the first place.
White does a great job as a director and creates interesting characters and closeups. The filmmakers make constructive uses of match cut and jump cut editing techniques and the sound effects are also outstanding, utilizing the sound of footsteps and heavy breathing to great effect. It is also worth pointing out that the sounds present during the closing credits are quite realistic and (as a result) disturbing, sending chills down the viewer’s spine.
Based on the short story by Miss Directed Souls, this film is less than five minutes, but it provides a thrilling ride, filled with nail-biting moments and a sinister atmpsphere.
As for the title…it does not provide the answer to the question.
#JasonKnight
