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★★★★★
Directed by: Brent Forrest
Written by: Brent Forrest
Short Film Review by: Rachel Pullen
Dirty Pool Movie Review
Not gonna lie, I am a fully fledged pool junkie, there is nothing more I enjoy than wasting my time in the dank and dark environment of a pool hall, tapping small balls into tiny holes while I forget what sunlight is, common theme, pool halls lack windows.
Like casinos, pool halls have their own environment, a place that is shut off from the world where you forget time and space, as well as self-respect if you don’t play so good, but despite its lack of athletic ability, the game takes skill, patience and practice, couple that with the enclosed nature of a pool hall and you can meet some interesting characters.
Dirty Pool is an animated short from #filmmaker Brent Forrest which shows two young men indulging in the sport, both take on opposing characteristics; one is confident, a bit of a show-off and the other is nervous and floundering around the basics of the game [I can relate!], it’s clear the narrative of good vs evil is at play on the screen and on the table.
Evil takes centre stage as the more confident play decided that his foul shot can be overlooked, an obvious cheater, he does not believe the rules followed by his rival apply to him! They battle it out in physical form, using pool cues for well… strangulation rather than pool and before we know it, their bad sportsmanship upsets some fellow customers.
With short film Dirty Pool, Brent Forrest takes great care in creating emotional content from the characters with an eye for facial details within his work, an important element, considering that the short has no dialect between the players, in fact, Forrest recorded the audio in a Tokyo pool hall to get the real feel for the distinct atmosphere he was exploring.
The #animation is flawless, well-directed and beyond professional, he creates the atmosphere of the hall that any avid pool player can relate to, the actions and attitudes of the players are also well researched, all of these elements show dedication to Forrest’s craft, in short, I feel he too is a bit of a pool junkie!
A classic exploration of good vs evil, set in an unlikely place, with an unlikely sport, we have all seen the competitive nature of football, basketball and other larger sporting events, so to take on this concept on a more overlooked game is creative as well as engaging, now I’m off to polish my cue skills.
Find out more about the filmmakers behind Dirty Pool using the link below:
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