Max McGee (Writer/Director) delves into the dark web with his 12-minute thriller short film ‘Karma’. The plot surrounds Karma (Chloe Sweetlove) and Destiny (Nicole Joseph) – childhood friends who swindle one million pounds in a telephone banking scam. Unbeknownst to them, they are also being scammed of their cryptocurrency.
The short opens with an array of neon lightning, hyper-energetic music and fast tension. We are being set-up for a reward of high drama and an engaging plot. Sadly, the projection falls short. Although the film is visually pleasing – with a dramatic menacing atmosphere – the acting performance is weak in tone. Max’s script is undeniably strong, the over-all story is compelling, but the acting delivery is frustratingly unconvincing. At times the tensity is portrayed only by the music and the cinematography.
‘Karma’ concludes with a twist – thankfully – rescuing the short from a downward drop into oblivion. Max McGee (Writer/Director) also appears as the Hacker – the only performance that has real dimension to it. ‘Karma’ is far from a bad short film, it’s certainly worth the 12-minute watch. Chloe Sweetlove (Karma) and Nicole Joseph (Destiny) may misrepresent Max’s dialogue in tone, but there are some tender moments between their characters that aid the narrative – noticeably during moments of reflection. A tale of fraud, revenge, betrayal and what goes around comes around.
