Stucco

Great performance from Janina Gavankar, as the main character and director and writer.

Solid, Interesting story with a satisfying ending, well complemented with the technical aspect, great cinematography, good practical effects and sound.

An all round great short film, I will be looking more from her.

No pun intended - it is a bad thing to have any phobia. And one that has you locked in one place (by choice) is not a great one to say the least. Agoraphobia - Agora being market in Greek. Phobos and Phobia meaning scared. So being afraid to leave house so to speak.

The actress is really good - and while the short movie could be a bit shorter (even), it is well told and well shot! Cinematography looks good - digital helping filmmakers nowadays with stuff like that. You still have to get people who are capable and are professional enough to do what they do. Which also is true for the prop department - which is quite important. Because while it all plays in our minds ... the end will give you a look behind ... the wall! And it is important for her and us that this does not disappoint ... and it doesn't! But is it enough to give us an ending we crave? And which one would that be?

A fascinating short film, using the tools of horrors for reflection of psychological crisis. Well crafted, inspired using pieces of the story, giving a memorable scene about the temptation and the resistence against flesh throne and the best end. A film about loneliness and expressions of deep fears.

Plot

In Stucco (U. S.), an agoraphobic woman finds a suspicious hollow wall in her house.

Cast

For a short this is loaded with names, fronted by True Blood actress Janina Gavankar and fellow roster members Rutina Wesley and Deborah Ann Woll. We also have Arrow's Colton Haynes, Will & Grace star Debra Messing, Michael Ealy and rising star Emmy Raver-Lampman. Lead Janina Gavankar also wrote and directed, so hats off there.

Verdict

Now when I say it tells the story I want to be clear that I mean that very loosely, very loosely indeed.

We see our leading lady living in her apartment when a hole that she created begins to widen, an entity lives on the other side and she forms a baffling relationship with it.

Standing at around 18 minutes it's a bizarre piece, very arthouse yet visually really quite impressive. With very little dialogue it focuses entirely on atmosphere and aesthetics which to its credit it does well, if only the plot was a tad more coherent.

If you're looking for something that makes absolutely no sense but looks the part then look no further than stucco.

Breakdown + Looks great + Solid cast

• Colton Haynes
• Skin crawling
• Incoherent nonsense

Rants

There's something about "Body" horror that just gets under my skin, I suppose that's the point but it's certainly not my genre. After watching multiple movies about degenerative viruses and even stds I'm very burned out. Could this constitute as one? I don't see why not. If body horror was on lsd and the writer was feeling frisky.

This was bizarre in the most tantalizing way. It takes such a simple idea and runs with it to a point where it makes you constantly wonder where it's going, without being directionless. That's kind of rare to see in a short film.

It's definitely not for everyone, though. There are some sexual and visceral moments that I like in a movie, but I can see people being off-put. Think Cronenberg with some Kafka tossed in.

It's challenging and avant-garde. Definitely worth the time.