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★★
Directed by: #EugeneTan
Short Film Review by: Alexandra James
Eugene Tan’s short film The Mountain is about a father and son who remain sheltered in a room, fearful of what lies outside the confined walls and the dangers that it inhabits. Did I mention that this father and son are stuffed toys? This is an unusual piece that is comical, emotional, and very bizarre. A simple yet interesting short story that follows a fathers need to protect his child against the outside world, as well as understanding the importance of embracing change and the need to explore outside of one’s comfort zone.
The father tries to impart some words of wisdom on his child, however, as they awake the next morning his child is missing, and the culprit is the ladybug! By combat, the father must defeat the ladybug in order to retrieve is son and bring him back to safety. It is up to the father to move beyond the realms of the room he has chosen to lock himself in, to save his son and defeat the one that has held him captive, in this case it’s a stuffed ladybug.
The camera angles to this piece were limited and the shakiness throughout was slightly amateurish. Understandably, this is a home film with a small budget, however, it’s the details that can make a huge difference and even with a simple storyline, the location, sound, and cinematography need to be on point and diverse so that the audience can engage with the narrative and become blown away by the scenes. Unfortunately, this short film was undeveloped in terms of this diversity, and it was difficult to remain connected with the narrative throughout. The comedic element was there but could have been strengthened further. Eugene Tan has the components to build on this piece, however, there was not a lot of investment in its potential.
I’m afraid to say that stuffed animals rolling across the floor is not a film that I can truly say amazed me, however, there is certainly a passion for cinema within this piece and it should be commended for its storyline that flowed extremely well and added a touch of key life lessons. The story teaches us to expand our horizons and move beyond the safe life bubble we create for ourselves. The Mountain can be considered deep and emotional narrative…once you accept the stuffed animal aspect.
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