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First, the Recap:
It may have been said before that death can wear a pretty face. Can death be seen, though, as an angel of mercy? Or is it more a dark angel waiting for the chance to take away a life already heading towards an early oblivion? Perhaps it is even seen as a seductive force, luring unsuspecting souls down a road to a fate they are completely unwary of. As a party clamors on in a fancy, highfalutin establishment, one such gullible soul (Terry Reid) finds himself coming upon a beautiful woman (Mia Caporale) lounging alone in an adjoining room. Perplexed at seeing her, and more than evidently captured by her attractiveness, this man and enigmatic siren banter playfully at first.
But as she begins to further toy with him and he is further drawn into the game, it starts to become evident she is more than what the surface would suggest. Yet on she goes, drawing him in closer and closer, flirting and tempting him physically, yet still hinting that she has been waiting for him, and has inhabited this locale for ear upon era. The two continue this dance until an abrupt halt to the activities occurs as this lithe femme fatale seems to freeze the moments in time to discuss the present events with another unseen voice. She has done this countless times, with similar souls across the ages. Her rules, her timing. The angel of death, whose newest soul realizes too late with whom he has engaged.
Next, my Mind:
The concept of humans meeting Death has been covered quite extensively in film, and is not a theme that will disappear anytime soon. So it could be easy to dismiss films about the subject as “been there, done that”. But, for writer/producer/director Hal Carlton-Ford’s indie short film effort “The Diner”, the concept has some new life squeezed into its tale of a man’s fate thanks to a the satisfying use of black & white cinematography, noir-ish single-setting sequences, frame-freezing moments, and a very effectively nuanced portrayal of Death, in this case, herself. Rather than being overtly ominous and dreadful, the whole notion of an unwitting soul being light-heartedly, then matter-of-factly, lead to his demise works wonders.
Actor Terry Reid solidly portrays the unfortunate party guest with subtle ease, giving him a sense of complete bewilderment in the midst of trying to have a dalliance with who he simply views as a gorgeous woman, giving into her teasing, until the knowledge hits him that her demeanor has somewhat changed and that he has been utterly trifled with before the end. Likewise, the lovely Mia Caporale gives Death such an unassumingly innocent countenance masking deceiving coquetry, it’s actually not hard to see why this poor guy got sucked in by her smile and behavior, even as she most certainly holds him in no regard whatsoever, but more as a game to be played as his time, possibly even past due, is up.
All in all, “The Diner” is a cool, smartly done piece of indie film creativeness and execution that aims to put a fresh twist on its narrative.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
