Short Film Reviews: Tristan McIntosh

Those who remember my short film review set of the Workobey catalogue or my review of the company's first feature-length piece We Are The Missing might recognize the subject of this post. That subject: Tristan McIntosh, who had a bit part in We Are The Missing and a main role in The Becky Carmichael Fan Club (not to be confused with the female singer/former American Idol contestant of the same name). After learning that he's also been directing and producing films of his own, I decided to give his collection of films a look. So let's dive right in and see if McIntosh is as good behind the camera as he has been in front of it!

Debris:

In this short film where McIntosh serves as one of 95 (!?) credited associate producers, desperate treasure hunter Royce (Rob Scattergood) seems to have had a change of luck when he discovers a samurai sword washed up on a beach. But what Royce doesn't know is that the sword has a blood-soaked past--one that the sword intends to carry on through him. Debris gets off to a strong start with its well-illustrated opening title sequence, with effectively chilling (though heavily accented, which might make it hard for some to understand) narration provided by Yuki Matsuzaki. The film following it matches the tense opening, with the deliberate pace allowing you to wonder just how the sword will continue its grisly legacy.

The cast works well with this pace, with Rob Scattergood throwing himself into Royce's journey as the sword's influence begins to take hold. Before then, Scattergood does a good job of depicting Royce's inner frustrations that make him a prime target for the sword. Amanda Moyer brings charm to Parker as the script develops her out of the "Catty Ex-Girlfriend" trope she begins the short as, while Josef Urban does his best to bring similar charm to her new lover Lukas. Though of the three leads, Urban gives the stiffest performance, which isn't helped by Lukas' wooden dialogue that's primarily sword exposition.

But despite the film's fairly straightforward story, Debris makes for an engaging horror short. Scattergood draws you into Royce's emotional character arc, and the conclusion of the film takes the action to a peak before finishing on an ambiguous note. Plus, for a short on a $10,000 budget, all the effects are top-notch. While it may not reinvent the genre, Debris still makes for an entertaining start to this list.

Score: 7.5 out of 10 hatted skeletons.

Pillow Talk:

In this comedy short, John and Grace (Nick Allan and Sue Beattie) find their marriage on the line as Grace makes a surprise revelation. Pillow Talk is incredibly simplistic in concept, with the film taking place entirely in John and Grace's bedroom as they have their argument. Any film where the whole focus is around a conversation has a challenge to overcome, as the dialogue has to be engaging enough to make up for the lack of traditional action. For Pillow Talk, the results are a mixed bag. While the argument isn't exactly dull, there are enough stagnant stretches that could test a viewer's patience and the humor is of hit-or-miss quality.

But countering that are the moments when Pillow Talk's dialogue-heavy nature yields some effectively funny banter. Nick Allan and Sue Beattie play well off each other during such exchanges and the film ends on an appropriately quirky-but-heartwarming note. It's not the best comedy out there on the web, but it's definitely not the worst comedy short to unwind with before bed.

Score: 5 out of 10 lawnmower accidents.

Fallen:

Moving on to a short with a darker brand of comedy, elderly homeowner Agnes (Penelope Goranson) suffers a nasty fall in her kitchen--right as thieves Max and Gary (Dave Campbell and Curtis Gough) break in to rob her. While billed as a comedy, Fallen starts out somber as we follow Agnes in the moments leading up to her fall. The opening goes on for longer than necessary, and includes a completely extraneous scene involving a trio of Ding Dong Ditching teens. But despite that, Penelope Goranson delivers a poignant performance as the feeble Agnes--especially once she has her fall and is left immobilized on her kitchen floor.

However, things take a dive once Max and Gary arrive. While Dave Campbell and Curtis Gough give solid enough performances, their standard "Bumbling Thieves" routine isn't great for a lot of laughs and the occasionally wooden dialogue they're given doesn't help. The worse sin, however, is how much potential for dark comedy is wasted. Apart from Max's brief suggestion that they kill Agnes to cover for themselves, there's not a lot of that to be found. SPOILER ALERT There's also the aggressively abrupt ending, with Gary going to call for help while Max has an unexplained change of heart and comforts Agnes, assuring her she'll be OK. Spoilers Over

Goranson's emotional performance draws you into Fallen, and of the two male leads, Campbell does the best with his histrionic portrayal of Max. But with the lackluster comedy, clunky dialogue, and unfulfilling conclusion, they can only do so much to make up for where this short film falls flat (pun intended).

Score: 4 out of 10 red kettles.

The Righteous:

In his first and only on-camera appearance for this list, Tristan McIntosh plays a religious fanatic who has kidnapped a young woman (played by Tristan's sister Sophie McIntosh), believing her to be possessed by a demon. However, his makeshift exorcism doesn't go as planned. The Righteous is quick to establish an unsettling atmosphere, thanks namely to the eerie whispering that serves as the film's soundtrack. The music suddenly stopping at times makes for an odd gimmick, but one that helps add to the tense atmosphere of the short.

Both McIntosh siblings give strong performances in their roles, with Tristan nailing his portrayal of the unstable Simon. He plays the character with enough frenetic lunacy to where you don't doubt he's unbalanced, but keeps it restrained enough to make you wonder: could he be right about his captive? Sophie McIntosh, meanwhile, does well at playing into Lauren's emotions as she desperately begs to be let go. While The Righteous does have an anticlimactic ending similar to Fallen, it also replicates Debris' strength of having a cryptic conclusion bound to spark questions. Enough to where I'd honestly love to see a sequel build upon Simon's character and the implications of The Righteous's twist ending.

Score: 7 out of 10 flimsy duct tape gags.

Just Business:

An average dinner between a father and daughter (Carlo Bruno and Nat McCulloch) is interrupted when an armed man (Dimitri Abdul-Nour) invades their home. Like The Righteous, Just Business shares some flaws in common with Fallen. Both have some issues with pace, and both end in unsatisfying ways due to wasted potential. While Just Business's final twist offers a disturbingly intriguing premise, the sluggishly dull hostage story that precedes it robs it of impact. Throw in some equally bland performances that fail to sell the movie's tragic aspects and the deserted backstories for the father and armed intruder, and you have a film that leaves a lot to be desired.

Score: 3 out of 10 glasses of milk.

Déjà Dead:

In McIntosh's latest film, Jackie (Maissa Houri-Charron) is in for a greater challenge than she anticipated when she returns to the oppressive commune she once called home to rescue her sister Andrea (Caren MacNevin). In addition to the domineering Prophet Simon (Steve Kasan), Jackie begins to feel like time itself is working to destroy her. Of the shorts I've covered on this list, Déjà Dead has the most intriguing premise: a woman trying to save her sister from a cult, only to have a time loop standing in her way. It's a creative goldmine, but unfortunately, Déjà Dead fumbles the execution.

Despite the time loop being introduced at around the 4-minute mark of this 9-minute film, the remaining time isn't used effectively to showcase Jackie's unnerving situation or how they impact her mission to save Andrea. Instead, we see Jackie do the same thing in each jump back in time, with no interesting variations. The audio also makes it hard to stay invested in the story, as it often either makes the dialogue hard to hear or becomes overwhelmingly loud. It all culminates in an abrupt ending that, despite having some appealing ambiguity, feels jarring and confusing because of how uncharacteristic Jackie's final actions are.

Despite these complaints, Déjà Dead isn't without promising elements. McIntosh shows strength as a director, shooting Déjà Dead in a way where a palpable sense of dread is always present. Despite her character's sloppy plot arc, Maissa Houri-Charron does well at portraying Jackie's fear of Simon and eventual exasperation at her predicament. Caren MacNevin and Mark Templin both also do well in their silent roles, using their expressions to convey broken catatonia and enigmatic solemnity respectively. The black sheep of the cast, however, would definitely be Steve Kasan as Prophet Simon. His stilted deliveries of Simon's boilerplate dialogue fails to make him a strong villain, and the film's lack of exploration of his genuinely disturbing ability makes things worse.

(Given how well he played a similar character in The Righteous, Tristan McIntosh would've been much better off casting himself as Prophet Simon. It would've also made for a nice in-joke, given how his character in The Righteous is also named Simon!)

For all the potential that Déjà Dead had with its unique concept, it feels like only a fraction of that ends up onscreen. Had more time been dedicated to the film's time loop aspect and finding clever ways to use it in the story, Déjà Dead could've made for a more engaging short thriller. Most of the cast does well, and the ending seems to be begging for a follow-up film. Hopefully, if one is made, the "Groundhog's Day: Horror Edition" premise will be capitalized on more than it is here.

Score: 4 out of 10 hand axes.

Overall:

While McIntosh has consistently shown himself to be a talented actor, his work behind the camera is a lot more uneven. While Debris and The Righteous make for entertaining horror, his other offerings leave plenty of room for improvement. But with Fallen and even Just Business having quality material peeking out from behind their missteps, I can see McIntosh being on the road to making those improvements and bringing that quality to the surface. So despite this rocky introduction to Tristan McIntosh as a filmmaker, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out to see what he'll have to offer in the future.

To check out his films as well as other content, click this link to be taken to Tristan McIntosh's YouTube channel.