Isolation (II) (2003) User Reviews

A dark and depressing, yet somehow oddly beautiful short

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 18 December 2014]

Young Billy (a strong and credible performance by director/co-writer Shane Ryan) tries to get over the death of his mother. Ryan does an excellent job of crafting a powerfully brooding melancholy atmosphere, makes fine evocative use of gloomy rundown locations, and vividly captures a potent feeling of loss, regret, and unfulfilled longing. Moreover, Ryan delivers a provocative central point about how someone's untimely passing can leave a haunting and lasting dent in another person's psyche. Starkly shot in gorgeous black and white by Matthew DeJohn, with an odd droning score by Boneshin, this works as a kind of stream of conscious cinematic meditation on life, death, and mortality. Granted, it's a downer for sure, but nonetheless very poignant and effective all the same.