In writer-director Tony Rakshith’s short film Double Edged, a damaged man sits at the edge of oblivion until an unexpected call cuts through the quiet—and turns his private torment into a brutal moral cross-examination.
Alex (James Tolley) has locked himself in his room. He’s eating a hamburger, has a bloody Band-Aid on his nose, and slams his plate onto the ground while screaming in anguish. Even the gun in his dresser provides no comfort. Before Alex can pull the trigger, the phone rings. It’s his former comrade, Nicholas (Anthony Aldapa), who asks him a very important question: “Are you a good guy or a bad guy?” When Alex responds, “Good guy,” Nicholas tells him to think again, and if he still believes that, he might as well kill himself.
“Before Alex can pull the trigger, the phone rings. It’s his former comrade…”
I don’t want to give much away, but Double Edged is a powerful short film. Filmmaker Tony Rakshith describes it as a psychological thriller stemming from an isolated man’s struggle with PTSD. The entire story hinges on Tolley’s understated performance. He manages his character’s emotional levels perfectly with his body language as it is rarely about what he says (i.e., no exposition).
For Rakshith, Double Edged is all about using every aspect of cinema craft to tell a chilling, deeply emotional story.
"…powerful..."
