A pair of amateur investigators get in over their heads in Ali Matlock and Jubei Powers’ thriller short, Ark of the 17th. People have been disappearing, and the police have no idea why. Amateur sleuths Clementine (Kristina Horan) and Jazz (Khalid Rivera) suspect their neighbor may have something to do with it. Having installed hidden cameras in their apartment, tonight is the night when they get the good with the help of their friend Curtis (Isaiah Joseph) waiting in the hallway.
Watching the live stream of their neighbor, Iris (Tay Witcher), Jazz is frustrated that all she’s doing is making stew in her kitchen. When she takes a shower, Curtis snoops around the apartment looking for clues, then runs into the closet, and Iris hops out of the shower when she hears some noise. Later, a couple appears in the apartment and starts making out. Here the case starts to unravel in a very horrible way.
People have been disappearing…Amateur sleuths Clementine and Jazz suspect their neighbor may have something to do with it.
In Ark of the 17th, we witness a crime live as it unfolds. The screen features the live cam in Iris’ apartment with an overlay video of Clementine and Jazz reacting to the action as it happens. Clementine is certain something bad is going to happen as Jazz thinks she’s gone conspiracy theory.
Matlock and Powers’ short film is an exercise in escalation as the unfolding events get more crazy, more perverse, and more horrific. To have a good time, you have to view the short film as a comedy or satire of the whole live-react videos becoming viral on streaming platforms like YouTube. Ark of the 17th is a fun short, but I would have preferred it to go in a much darker direction and go true thriller or horror.
"…the unfolding events get more crazy, more perverse, and more horrific."
