Cameron Becht’s 11-minute ride of suspense centres on Abraham, a depressed shopkeeper who appears (we assume) to be grieving the loss of his daughter. Andrew Johnson delivers a fine performance as Abraham, but the short lacks a progressive narrative and is frustratingly slow-moving. ‘Incessant’ is missing a solid backstory in order for the audience to empathise and understand the protagonist. We are teased with minor clues through photographs, a phone call and the mysterious arrival of a letter at his doorstep, but curiosity still remains after the final frame.
High praise for truly remarkable cinematography, high quality sound and lighting – the film has almost all the right ingredients of an industry level film. Tone and the level of suspense is executed as expected – but the reward of a freight falls short of a horror. ‘Incessant’ doesn’t quite know it’s genre – more closely aligned to a psychological thriller than of horror.
Mental health plays an important theme throughout and is captured poignantly through Abraham’s isolation, loneliness and alcohol dependency. However, at times, the audience may feel like a fly-on-the-wall witnessing a mundane life. Unfortunately, the short consists of a series of character situations rather than a constructive narrative – leaving the plot unfulfilled and disengaging.
