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Directed by Sean McInally
Starring Matthew Baxter, Ray Crofter, Courtney Griffin & Alia E. Torrie
Short film review by Sarah Smeaton
The Interview is a thought-provoking short film that questions our very existence. To be able to accomplish this in under three minutes surely has to be worthy of admiration in itself if for nothing else. And you must certainly give it that but unfortunately there aren’t many other factors that are noteworthy enough to generate excitement or viewing interest here. This is not an original idea…how many times have we had films contemplate our existence beyond or pre life as we know it? Almost every example displays this ‘beyond world’ in a brilliant white light and it’s a shame that director Sean McInally hasn’t tried to stray away from this stereotypical depiction in The Interview.
The quick and focused camera work does create some excellent imagery and tension. The interspersing of the shortest of shots of a woman in labour on her way to the birthing unit in hospital next to longer shots of an interview scene work excellently together to create an edgy, breathless suspense. If this film were longer, this technique could most certainly have been utilised more effectively with a gradual expansion of scene length. As is stands, the end product feels rushed and incomplete. The ending and the culmination of the plot comes abruptly, leaving that stagnant unsatisfied feeling in its wake.
Modern examples of the afterlife in film such as The Lovely Bones, Click and Bruce Almighty take the notion of an alternative world and push this ideology for varying effects, be it for a deep exploration into what could exist beyond, or simply just for comedic value. What really seems to be lacking in The Interview is any direction as to an overall plot and purpose that would complement its exploration into the unknown. What we have here could essentially have been a really intriguing and original idea if it had been more thoroughly explored.
The Interview does, however, act as a brilliant reminder that we are all very lucky to be in existence, that each and every single one of us has, for whatever reason, beaten massive odds stacked against us to even be on this planet. When thinking of life in such a way it most surely helps put into perspective the rest of life’s daily insignificant quandaries. And again, to be able to accomplish this within a three minute film is in itself a massive feat and one that Sean McInally should be acknowledged for.
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