Over (2015). Short film.

In class today we watched the short film Over (2015), directed by Jorn Threlfall.

This short film is set in the suburbs of London, in a small and quiet neighbourhood and shows a series of events following a police investigation about a man falling to death from a plane. This series of events begins backwards, and shows how people interact and how live goes on after death. However, as an audience you only become aware of the story being told in reverse by the end of the film.

My expectations of this film, as knowing the genre is 'real life crime', was that it would use very documentary style microelements such as using hand-held camera work. As a short film, I also expected it would be too short to include a complicated storyline following the crime, and therefore the film involving an investigation would be unlikely. Furthermore, I expected some low-key lighting and shadowing, and maybe some violence or action occurring in an everyday setting such as on a street.

My expectations were subverted in the sense that the camerawork involved extreme long shots, and a slow pace throughout sets the tone for the film that the death has been ultimately forgotten about. Personally, I found the reveal at the end dramatic, however I thought the pace of the film could of been made faster in some parts and editing could of been used more to keep a constant interest for the audience throughout. I think this could inspire me in my future work as I enjoyed the idea of using different modes of storytelling and subverting the audience's expectations of the film throughout.