It's important to get the structuring of the narrative completely right if the attempt is to invoke horror. The short film comes very close to hitting the nail on the head, the resultant effect realised primarily because of a seamless edit. <br><br> While the film will disorient the viewer, whether or not they are fans of horror, it would have still benefited from a shorter length. A note of ambiguity sometimes works better for a product of this genre. On the whole, the film is an aspirational attempt which goes a long distance in reaching the goal it had set out to achieve.

The Lift | Short Film Nominee

The entirety of the short film comes to revolve around a conversation between a man on his death bed and the Grim Reaper who has come to reap his soul. However, before they commence their journey to Afterlife, the Reaper has a few questions. This would ensure that the soul is truly ready to passover and that the Reaper does not have to shoulder the burden of an unhappy, regretful life. <br><br> As the movement of the narrative begins vis-a-vis the regrets of the dying man's memories, a sense of cyclicality is invoked. His disagreements with his father come to overlap with those of his son. In a way, the film thus becomes a comment on the patterns of human behaviour we rarely break out of. It also attempts a use of special effects and graphics to convey its message, along with a voiceover of the narrator. A black and white palette is adopted as well to drive its point home. 

Ritesh Uphade

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