In Brandon Normon’s short film, Contrition, a thief, Gus (Darcy Laurie), finds himself in the middle of the forest with a gunshot wound in the gut. We flashback to hours before, just as he and his partner, Louie (Ron Selmour), are about to divvy up a large stash of diamonds. Like any criminal, Gus gets greedy and pulls a gun on Louie, who is also armed.
As the life slowly drains from Gus’ body, he is forced to come to grips with his actions, and the reality is that he doesn’t have much longer to live.
“…finds himself in the middle of the forest with a gunshot wound in the gut.”
Contrition is a short film about just that…a man who must put his affair in order. With very few words, the camera is on Darcy Laurie as Gus, and in his body language and facial expression, he walks us through the remorse and penitence of a man who took a life for mere greed. The film suffers a bit from its ultra-low budget. I would like to have seen much of the forest scenes later in the day or at night and possibly play with the camera angles for dramatic effect.
I have great admiration for Contrition for telling a story of Gus’ inner struggle without ever having to say a word. For director Normon, thinking outside the box and taking risks is the first step to becoming a real filmmaker.
"…penitence of a man who took a life for mere greed."
