There’s a sinking feeling when a movie’s protagonist is about to talk himself into doing something unforgivable, and Stetson Hayes’ A Burial rides that feeling right from the first frame. It’s a thriller about how quickly an ordinary life can spiral out of control once a single bad decision needs to be covered up.
Abel (Steven Staine Fernandez) is a struggling photographer trying to eke out a living to provide some stability for his wife, Isabel (Agnes Artych), and prove to his mother, Paola (Susan Paerels), that he will amount to something. Work is scarce, bills pile up, and the strain has already started chipping away at his marriage. Then Isabel tells him she’s pregnant, and Abel does everything he can to hide that he’s at his emotional breaking point. This is the last piece of news he wants to hear.
When Isabel tells Abel that her current client, Sylvia (Maritza Vives), needs a portrait shot of her close friend, Abel resents needing Isabel’s help to get him the job. To make matters worse, Sylvia’s close friend is her doggy. Abel simply explodes at Isabel, and she finally leaves, done with him hiding secrets and refusing to come clean.
Now alone in his home, Abel starts hearing voices and looking out his window; he spies someone watching him. Abel goes out and confronts the young man, a fight breaks out, and he inadvertently kills him. Fortunately, no one saw him (or did they?), and Abel must now dispose of the body. Of course, getting rid of a body is not going to be easy.
Abel (Steven Staine Fernandez) works behind the camera while Sylvia (Maritza Vives) looks on in A Burial.
“Abel goes out and confronts the young man, a fight breaks out, and he inadvertently kills him.”
Stetson Hayes’ A Burial has all the charm of an independent thriller. The cinematography is perfectly claustrophobic. Shot in the postage-stamp aspect ratio, everything on screen is close and tight, which lends an uneasy quality to Abel’s tale while making the violence feel more visceral. There’s also a dark, minimalist style to how A Burial was shot. It feels like a Wes Anderson horror film, but grounded.
We are on an indie roller coaster ride as Abel’s life slowly, then quickly, unravels. One problem begets another, and one lie must be covered up by a bigger lie. It all leads to a surprise revelation at the end. You didn’t hear that from me.
The cast is more than up to the task, and Steven Staine Fernandez delivers a strong, emotional performance, one where most of his character lives in what’s unsaid and comes through solely in his eyes and body language.
A Burial is a beautifully brilliant thriller. Stetson Hayes shows that only independent filmmakers can effectively tell truly simple stories that the big studios will tell you are not big enough for the average audience. The studios are wrong.
For more information, visit the A Burial official Instagram page.
"…Fortunately, no one saw him (or did they?)..."
