WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, a Recap:
It’s the moment you would never wish for. The middle of the night, quiet in the room, sleeping peacefully. Then the sounds reach your ears, eyes open, and the realization hits you. Someone is in your home. The fear of the unknown may be present, but the adrenaline kicks in, and the instinct to protect oneself and family takes over. Such is the case for Josh (Jamie Hawes), who leaves the sanctuary of his bedroom, and a frightened wife, Kelly (Julia Leyland), to go downstairs and face the unwanted intrusion. In the ensuing struggle with one of the invaders, Josh is struck, but lets the action and pursuit carry him through his back yard and into the street. This is only a catalyst.
Looking down and realizing all is not well, the street lights go dark, and Josh, stumbling back to his kitchen door, experiences the evening taking a startling jump from reality into the supernatural when a new presence enters the scene, much to his initial defiance and unbelief. A quiet, yet strangely authoritative, woman’s voice begins to inquire to him, and as he watches the darkly-cloaked, hauntingly white-faced woman appear before him, a glance into his home at her behest reveals the truth of her nature. Death (Dana Smit) has come calling. The ensuing conversation brings to light a questioning of humanity, the recklessness of people, and the condition of the world. But more importantly, Josh is made to face the hardest of truths. Himself.
Next, my Mind:
Once again, the wonder of the short film format comes shining through is this well-filmed, well-acted, and overall well-executed indie effort from Director Luke Mordue, Producer Nathaniel Francis, and their film company Mordue Pictures. Honestly coming across as a scaled down version of the concept found in “Meet Joe Black”, “The Reaper” is itself a truly cautionary tale about the choices we make as humans, the consequences of our decisions, and the viability of, should we find ourselves in a life or death situation, how we would see ourselves in the aftermath if the mirror of Death would confront us. Hence, the acknowledgement of being ready to face eternity. And for Josh’s character in this story, that’s exactly what he faces.
Hawes plays Josh quite well as a man sure of himself, his toughness, and his ability to get things taken care of. But to watch that bravado slowly get stripped away from him as the nature of even being alive is brought about was really well portrayed here. And Smit’s Death is an absolute thrill, so ethereally stirring yet ominously commanding and chillingly eerie, with the slow, deliberate way her questions and statements are delivered. Topped off with an equally effective and moodily atmospheric soundtrack by Billy Jupp, this really is the complete package. All in twelve short minutes. This reviewer’s only knock would be a more “personal preference” mention as to some language in the film, but this is a small consequence in a very solid indie effort worth checking out, folks!
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
