REVIEW - Headshot (Directed by Natalie Scarman and Aron Giagu)

After Tamika - Agent in Time, an animated short about a time-travelling police officer, Headshot represents the second short film written by acclaimed Australia filmmaker, Steven Coy of HeARTflicks (Tamika - Agent in Time, Headshot, All Three Counts), who not only appears on-screen as well, but also takes the helm as producer, alongside Matthew Brice (Blood Money, Tooth 4 Tooth, The Serpent's Nest, The Reality of Humanity, Blood City).

Interesting, gripping and entertaining, Headshot tells the story of Jaimie Edwards (played by accomplished actor Robbie Greenwell; Bad Rabbit, Bad Rabbit #2, Headshot, All Three Counts), which is succinctly summed up by the movie's synopsis:

"A seasoned crime scene photographer is unwittingly drawn into preventing the domestic abuse of a friend after starting to see paranormal images of the deaths, of not just the deceased he photographs, but also the living."

Engaging from the off, and with some very smart cinematography, the film immediately gives classy vibes, and the excellent composition of the scenes throughout makes this a pleasing watch, and bears testament to the attention to detail, creativity, artistic flair and hard work of directing duo Natalie Scarman (Headshot, All Three Counts) and Aron Giagu (Are We Heroes, Blood Money, Warpath Chronicle, Blood City, Mercz, Headshot).

The film opens with an advisory for viewer discretion owing to depictions of domestic violence, and from there no time is wasted in setting the scene as a police officer investigates a possible homicide, amid somewhat of a bloodbath (quite literally) - which paves the way perfectly for the introduction to our protagonist, Jaimie - the crime scene photographer.

As Jaimie goes about his work the photos he takes begin to reveal details of the untimely demises of the people he captures on camera - in terrifying prophetic visions and premonitions; a plot which is reminiscent of David Warner's portrayal of pivotal character in the 1976 horror hit The Omen, Keith Jennings and his fantastic photographic foresight (later played by David Thewlis in the 2006 remake) - with these cult classics being a likely source of inspiration.

Although while The Omen relies on its stark intensity combined with Biblical lore and Christian dogma to entrench the viewers with a heavy air of sinister suspense, Headshot does not fixate on an underlying sinister subtext of apocalyptic proportions. Instead, elements of subtle surrealism are incorporated into the presentation, with a couple of sequences having a rather dream-like feel, which helps to accentuate the paranormal aspects of the narrative without frightening viewers.

Greenwell is backed up by strong supporting performances across the board, but notably so from the film's writer Steven Coy as Gary Norton, and with impressive on-screen debuts from Stephanie Dawson as Dianna Norton, Vanessa Ricks as Detective Burns, and Nicholas Michalakis as Detective Conrad.

Premiering at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Headshot has already scooped several accolades in the short time its been on the film festival circuit, including selections at Central Coast Film Festival and Sydney Lift-Off Film Festival, semi-finalist at the Melbourne Independent Film Festival, Best Film on Social Justice at the Hollywood Indie Festival, and Judges Award Winner at the Bangkok Movie Awards.

This film is as profound as it is entertaining, bravely highlighting the serious issue of domestic violence, but doing so in a manner less confronting manner than is typically the norm for flicks tackling this subject.

Headshot will be enjoyed by cinephiles and movie buffs with a penchant for crime movies, thrillers, and paranormal weirdness - making it an excellent fit for the Fortean Film Festival - and with another new work penned by Coy, which also takes on the subjects of sexual abuse and domestic violence titled All Three Counts freshly doing the rounds, fans of his thought-provoking work won't have to wait long for more.