WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
French-born writer/director Karim Ouaret also produced this 28-minute modern thriller that brings out a very unique, albeit raw and intense, scenario for all the characters involved. Jackson (James Gerard) is simply trying to complete a clothing cycle at the local Laundromat, initially oblivious to the arrival of a woman, Rose (Sophie Meister), who wastes no time stripping off a bloodied dress and throwing it in a washer. Unable to utilize the broken Detergent dispenser, she grabs Jackson’s attention and the two converse while he timidly offers to assist in both immediate needs she has. As the two converse further, enter a trio of men, one supporting a gunshot-wounded comrade, followed by the group’s off-kilter and freakishly calm but unstable leader, Terry (Arben Bajraktaraj). As Terry’s partner attempts to give aid to their dying friend, Terry himself begins to come more unhinged and proceeds to terrorize Jackson and Rose. Hinting that the issue involves missing kilos of drugs and working it out in his own mind that the two unfortunate bystanders somehow had something to do with its disappearance, he soon completely loses control and the entire event goes from bad to worse, mainly, again, for Jackson and Rose. But, in the aftermath of Terry’s madness, the story takes an unexpectedly clever, twisting turn, and suddenly, not only is Terry’s nature more deeply explored, but the whole concept of what he is and where his mental unsteadiness and need for violence comes from is revealed.
As this reviewer’s continued exploration into the world of independent cinema has moved forward, it truly stands out that the right filmmaker can take a simple, Hitchcockian-styled one location setting, infuse a vivid, gritty, modern thriller element into it, throw a cunning twist at you, and end up with one unique effort, all in only twenty-eight minutes! And this is exactly what “Lapsus” brings to the table. Gerard and Meister very much portray their characters with a realistic sense of the awkwardness found in their character’s first meeting which quickly turns to unabashed terror when the night takes its perilous turn. And Bajraktaraj is an absolute gem in playing Terry, giving him the potent combination of an unsettled killer’s eerily tranquil and composed disposition in one moment followed by the explosive, uncontrollable, and murderous anger in the next. The particular plot twist involving said character is actually one of the winningest parts of this effort, and it would be an encouragement to those who have not yet seen “Lapsus” to perhaps avoid reading the plot summary on the film’s website, only as this reviewer felt it gives away what is a crucial point of Terry’s whole state of being and how it is tied even more into the storyline than is first evident. So while the viewer needs to be ready for the language and violence in this short film, total understanding of the why the film garnered so many festival awards is presented here, making the film worth looking at.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
