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First, the Recap:
We’ve all heard it before–what comes around, goes around. Additionally, there is always the notion that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Either way you look at it, things have a way of revealing themselves and working towards our mutual benefit–or possibly our eternal detriment. It is the barren yet wondrous and dusty realms of the Australian outback. A lonely dirt road that runs through it finds Constable Rose (Danny Bolt) pulling off to the side and consulting his map, much to the amusement of his backseat prisoner, a notorious convict named Ned Williams (Lee Priest). Choosing to remain mildly oblivious to Williams’ provocations, Constable Rose attempts to ascertain their next direction.
Once underway again, a sudden and strangely unsettling marker is passed by in the middle of said road, causing an unanticipated panic out of Williams, who virtually begs for Rose to turn the car around. Even as Rose begins to try and calm Williams down, another unexpected event causes the car to swerve off the road violently, tumbling over, and finally coming to rest. Initially leaving his stunned and still highly unnerved detainee in the car, Rose exits and tries to establish what or who exactly created their current predicament. Distracted, Williams decides upon his own course of action to free himself from the situation. Yet, what is initiated after this becomes a topsy turvey, reality-warping occurrence that threatens to upend both men’s perceptions forever.
Next, my Mind:
A huge “Thank you!!” to the independent film community must be leveled here when it comes to this 6-minute short film effort from writer/director/producer/editor Ren Thackham, which once again proves that a wholly original, intelligent, enigmatic, entertaining, and highly clever narrative can be presented effectively and with superb impact in such an abbreviated timeframe, a much more common event within the indie filmmaking world than this reviewer had ever expected, and is equally enthused to have become a part of. Infusing elements of thriller, drama, and a touch of well-grounded science fiction, the story hurtles along and carries the viewer into a wildly conceived actuality where multiple choices are seemingly doomed to repeat themselves for an undetermined amount of time. Two souls with, honestly, two completely opposite agendas experiencing the mind-scrambling circumstances they do is just masterfully pulled off here, yet again, in a way that seems, well, plausible despite the “out there” instances being explored. The visuals are smartly shot and images meld perfectly together to give the viewer a full, all-around sense of what’s unfolding while keepings us totally baffled as to the fate of the characters, even with how things are initially left by the finale. It’s a guessing game that’s all begun by one specific instance that perhaps reveals the key to everything–or just ads more mystery. It certainly speaks to the ramifications of our choices, and how we often do keep going round and round while making efforts to figure out what choices we might make that will allow that road we’re on to change–or keep on circling back to start again.
Bolt is wonderful in his role as Constable Rose, a regular guy, serious about his job, a by-the-book lawman who simple desires to deliver his “package” safely and without incident. His affable demeanor assuredly assists him in dealing with the verbal barbs thrown at him by Williams in view of their initial “apparently, we’re lost” plight, and remains calmly tempered even in the face of events as they begin to take turns for the surreal. Of course, he becomes a little more unhinged as things transpire, but soon, as it becomes more and more evident reality is consistently taking its turn for the weird, we truly wonder exactly what effect this is having on him overall, with the exception of certain trouble he’d rather avoid, and throughout it all, Bolt just nails the nuances of this with ease and poise. Likewise, professional Australian bodybuilder Priest makes one seriously convincing and menacing convict in playing Williams, who when not taunting his captor’s ineptness in navigating them to their destination, is then focused on escape by whatever means necessary, willing to resort to violence if needed, but more concerned perhaps about making Rose be humiliated as much as possible. Yet, when Williams suddenly figures out the dilemma they’re both in, watching the steps he takes to try and prevent the bizarre, freakish adventure from continuing while not losing his mind (or maybe he really is) is engaging and very well enacted by Priest. Plus, his literal physical build and awesome tattoo work lends themselves perfectly to this character, making Priest a villain and a victim of circumstance to remember.
In total, “Round Trip” is a fantastic little piece of indie short film wonder that more than deserves its time to shine now and far beyond, which this reviewer hopes it gets a chance to achieve. It represents an ongoing testament to the quality of talent and creativity found in the indie film ranks all across the world, and I know this reviewer only hopes that filmmaking like this gets to have its time in the sun and spotlight. Oh, and don’t forget your boomerang, mates!
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
