Northern Film
THE MIND REVIEW
Alec Bell is an upcoming director from the North East of England. He is highly regarded in the LBGT community for being the first Trans Directorn to achieve national fame in Britain. His short films have included "Forever stuck in our Youth" "We are the kids of Yesterday" and "let the good times roll". He is currently in talks with Disney to direct a live action version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Most thrillers are considered by audiences as "Trippy". However that isn't the right label to give Alec Bells short film "The Mind", a completely dialogue less piece. Instead of using long monologues and speech to tell a story, Bell uses miss en scene and cinematography to tell the story. The story is about an alcoholic (played brilliantly by the legendary Scott Harris) who sees what he perceives to be a guardian angel (played by newcomer but just as good Lucy Talbot) Only for the ending to reveal the apparition was in fact, an angel of death. Bell uses tracking shots and low key lighting to create a gloomy atmosphere, foreshadowing the death at the end. Bells use of props and set design show that Harris' character is a man of vice, surrounded by drugs and alcohol. Its little pieces like this that help paint a picture on why Harris' character is murdered. This is The Minds greatest strength, leaving the films plot open for interpretation. I believe that the plot is, A man wakes up, drunk and sees a guardian angel of sorts. After wading his way through his apartment, he indulges in alcohol and gets weaker over time. He drinks more and eventually dies with the guardian angel, really a angel of death, watching. The angel of death having came to kill him for his vice filled life.
There is one part i didn't like and that is when the camera gets a close up one Harris' face and his eyes glow. This is just horrific effects at its finest, it looks extremely amateur, and it felt unnecessary too.
Overall, Alec Bell has given us a masterpiece in a short film, one that might be award worthy in the short term, since BAFTA nominations are around the corner.