Short Film Review “Garden of An Angry God” The price of selfish ways and entitled thinking highlight a diabolically menacing tale of comeuppance
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First, the Recap:
What is hidden within ourselves and what is overtly evident in actions taken can all shine a light into precisely who we are, the mentality in which we face life, and the rationales we arrive at to justify that which isn’t honorable or moral. Even when said decisions we make are less than scrupulous, we STILL manage to seek out the ways to feel we’ve “earned it” and therefore nullify any sense of genuine guilt, shame, or wrongdoing. But, what happens if consistently exemplifying this attitude has a much higher price than we would have ever anticipated?
Cemetery caretaker Joan (Chelsea Roe) wholly embodies the aforementioned demeanor in the midst of doing her duties, more specifically through a particular habit she has when it comes to those who come to mourn at the graves of loved ones. With what she believes is a “clean conscious” about her choices, several nights in a row, after hours, begin to manifest ominous sounds and portents of darker forces at work, leading up to an encounter that more than threatens to drastically upend all she’s felt was “right”.
Next, my Mind:
Ominous warnings and harbingers, not heeding chances offered to usher forth necessary change, and the ever unsettling realization of things that dwell in the darkest places all manifest and unnervingly unfold with a boldly dramatic, foreboding, supernaturally-infused, deeply cautionary ambiance and intent through this 12-minute short film from writer/director/producer/cinematographer/editor/composer Matthew David Roe, writer Kimberly Britt (based on her original screenplay “Undertakings”), and co-producer Katrina Parker. The horror genre is still to this day a slippery slope for this critic as, let’s be honest, with its popularity as a genre, over-saturation is a danger and genuine originality is VERY hard to come by. However, in this effort’s case, I personally found it quite unique and steeped in what I felt was a cleverly crafted moral lesson focused on a harrowing cost for taking chances….and what doesn’t belong to you.
In following the actions of a cemetery caretaker that seems to be under the impression her lonely efforts in keeping other people’s burial sites neat and tidy warrants “special” entitlements via a new form of grave robbing which only serves to showcase how wrong she is, the film’s brief runtime leaves no room for muss or fuss, and hence launches us into the quietly disturbing fray with a deft combination of black and white imagery, extreme close-up instances, some astutely executed horror tropes, building tension, and an equally atmospheric, oracular music score that all emphasize the eeriness being portrayed with chill-inducing punch. But, what ALSO delivers the goods here is the exercise in subtlety and specific visual cues that seem to let us as the viewer know that what the lead character in experiencing MIGHT not remotely be a “first time” series of events, and it lends as even more curiosity-sparking depth to events as the film moves forward.
Along this line of interpretation, a central theme of being haunted by our poor choices takes on a whole new meaning, as does the always potentially deadly and disastrous dabbling in shadowy realms, delving into the kind of deals that simply don’t end well at all, and as hinted above, knowing that we WERE provided every opportunity to escape from the rash decisions we are making, but that everything from greed, to loss, to grieving, to, quite frankly, arrogance tends to lead us down crooked paths. Here, it is definitively proven to lead to an even worse fate, which the finale we’re given here is as beautifully and conspicuously frightening as it is conjecture-filled, leaving your mind to contemplate the story from that point on to whatever terrifying conclusions you choose to entertain. As mentioned earlier, the black and white cinematography elicits an apropos noir-ish, even Hitchcockian, aura yet remains firmly rooted in the contemporary horror arena.
Chelsea Roe is a gem to watch in this project, for given the heaviness and disquieting tone and mood of the narrative’s course, the actress channels precise, wonderfully calculated, understated energy and muted yet still intense emotional resonance to bring the character she plays to life through her performance as Joan, a cemetery caretaker who is taking actions she feels she’s “earned” at the (unbeknownst to them) cost of other’s bereavement. Thinking in her own mind that it’s “harmless” and/or justified, Joan’s continued “solutions” to her own inner battles appear to bring a sense of contentment to her….until it becomes very noticeably apparent that there are much more Stygian elements at work. With this disturbing trend plaguing her every night, it soon comes to a dire and unearthly interaction with something that knows her actions all too well….and doesn’t appear to be happy with her ignoring what’s truly at stake.
Again, it’s a fantastically executed performance of primarily subtlety, a portrait of growing agitation, self-assessment, defiance, and finally abject fear that will culminate in a unavoidable fate the character has brought upon herself, and Roe adeptly navigates these spooky waters with skill and affecting realism. Then we have William Shelton who brings forth a magnificently conveyed air of calm yet freakish, otherworldly menace as Bas, a sinister and enigmatic presence that speaks to the degrees of jeopardy Joan has managed to bring about for herself. Demonstrating a scary magnitude of unsympathetic indifference yet also a highly focused concern for what Joan has been up to at the cemetery, his ability to illustrate an ingrained impatience and disconcert with her is legion, a total showcasing of what it is to have attracted the attention of evil, much less if any deals were struck with him….and the eternal demands that come with it.
That’s really all I wish to share about the character at this point, and suffice it to say, Shelton embodies this representative of malicious glee and malevolent purpose through his performance that so deftly befits the darkness Bas symbolizes. Supporting appearances are made from Natasha Mercado-Santana and Kimberly Osborne as mourners whose objects of remembrance and sorrow become Joan’s targets. So, in total, “Garden of An Angry God” immerses you fully into the eldritch domain of supernatural horror’s trepidation-inspiring capacity, but does so in a manner that not only elicits those uneasy sensations, but delivers a seriously potent message about the punishment of shady deeds, even when those actions are (incorrectly) rationalized from our own feelings of deprivation that we refuse to handle in more constructive ways, a final and fatal lesson in revealed truths and earned consequences.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
