Death's Requiem (2007)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Marc Furmie

Writers:

Marc Furmie (writer)
Ji Hao Lou (writer)

Genre:

Short | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A comic book artist's characters come to life to haunt him

Plot:

Nathan Chapel is a terminally ill comic book artist with an obsession for death. When the Grim Reaper himself pays Nathan comes to life to haunt him, Nathan's greatest fears are realized.

Plot Keywords:

Death | Comic | Comic Book | Reaper | Suspense

Awards:

4 wins

Cast

Raoul Agapis	...	Death
Darren K. Hawkins	...	The Removalist
Jai Koutrae	...	Nathan
Billy Milionis	...	Joe
Robin Queree	...	Homeless Man
Bruce Spence	...	John
Alin Sumarwata	...	Sarah

Runtime:

Australia:30 min | Australia:30 min (approx.)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M (self applied)

Filming Locations:

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Maddfilms

Trivia:

Method Fest - Nominated for best Short, Best Actor in a short - Jai Koutrae

Make sure to watch this to the end

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I've gotta be honest, mid-way through this film, I was almost ready to turn it off since the film just didn't seem to appeal to me. Boy am I glad I didn't, as the film really shot into high gear in the second half.

The film is about an odd artist who makes graphic novels that star the Grim Reaper. The problem is that the artist is now dying of cancer and the novels seem all too real. Much of his time is spent as a voyeur--staring at his lovely neighbor. The rest is spent gasping for air and contemplating his own death. Fun stuff to watch? You've gotta be kidding! However, the film really picks up when he witnesses the actual Reaper appear and kill a hobo! Perhaps because of his own imminent death he's able to see the guy--even though it isn't yet his time! But, late in the film, when he's spying on his neighbor, he spots the Reaper about to claim her as well! This is when he springs into action and refuses to just stand back and let Death have her.

The film is amazingly graphic in spots. You really think that the guy is dying thanks to a wonderful performance by Jai Koutrae. Unfortunately, though, to heighten the realism, you see him spitting up massive amounts of blood from time to time (yuck). While disgusting, I guess I could see the justification for doing this. But the blood, very adult content and nudity in the film DEFINITELY make this a film for adults.

Finally, kudos to first-time director Marc Furmie. He has an amazingly deft hand and the film looked so professional--I could hardly believe he hadn't directed up until this film. Hopefully, if the right people see this, he'll have no trouble finding work from now on!!