Familiar (2012)

Through a series of tragic events, a middle aged man grows to suspect the negative impulses plaguing his mind may not be his own.

Director:

Richard Powell

Writer:

Richard Powell

Stars:

Robert Nolan, Astrida Auza, Cathryn Hostick

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Robert Nolan	...	John Dodd
Astrida Auza	...	Charlotte Dodd
Cathryn Hostick	...	Jordan Dodd

Storyline

Through a series of tragic events, a middle aged man grows to suspect the negative impulses plaguing his mind may not be his own.

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Plot Keywords:

self mutilation | body horror | gore

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Genres:

Short | Horror

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Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 April 2012 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fatal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

24 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film follows the story of John Dodd, twin brother to WORM's psychotic high school teacher Geoffrey Dodd.

User Reviews

A great short movie.

I was contacted by the executive producer of this film, Zach Green, asking if I would review this for him. I immediately agreed. This is great, being contacted and asked to review someone's film feels like an honour. I set about checking out the film first just to get an idea about it. It looked interesting and I was looking forward to seeing it. I clicked on the link, sat back and watched.

The film is about John Dodd (Robert Nolan), a middle aged man who is looking for more out of life than work, his wife and his daughter. He hears a voice in his head and believes it is his thoughts. He begins to act on what it is telling him, and then to his horror, discovers that the voice isn't his.

This film is a work of movie mastery. It is incredibly well shot, the visuals are great and is what you would expect in a mainstream movie. Far better than any "B" movie or TV film. There are only three characters and they are acted perfectly. However almost all the scenes are completely focused upon John Dodd. The pain and anguish each one goes through comes across in a very realistic way. It is especially good when you realise that the majority of all the words spoken are really just the voice John Dodd hears. There are hardly any conversations between the characters.

What I found at the end of the film was it felt like it was longer. Not saying it dragged on forever, but that the story was told in such a way that it felt like a full length movie. I was surprised it was only 20 minutes long. The film takes you on a roller-coaster of emotions. You empathise with the characters, and then their actions completely shock you until finally you feel yourself squirming in your seat in horror.

This is a great film and it was a treat to watch. It left me wanting to see more of the filmmakers work. I would love to see what they could do with a full length movie. I have a new respect for independent movies after viewing this and Rage (2010). I will definitely be on the lookout for more.