Reunion

Márk G. Lakatos has a ton of shorts and music videos to his name. Well, the writer-director has added another title to his long list, along with the dramatic horror short Reunion. Sean (Patrick Thomas Kovacs) is traveling to his childhood home as his estranged father, Robert (Brett Bickley), is nearing the end of his life. This reunion is anything but civil, as Robert’s alcoholic and abusive past is brought up while Sean is angling to get everything in the will. However, unbeknownst to the greedy son, something far more sinister than he knows lies in wait deep in his father.

Reunion begins with a beautifully animated segment detailing a fairytale involving a ravenous wolf. The animation is stunning, twisting in and on itself while being highly detailed. It is a gripping and visually arresting way to start the picture. Does the live-action majority of the film live up to his audaciously perfect opening?

“…unbeknownst to the greedy son, something far more sinister than he knows lies in wait deep in his father.”

The answer to that question is a happy yes. For starters, Kovacs and Bickley are excellent together. They genuinely feel like dysfunctional family members, and each brings a dark edge to their role that serves the material well. Ármin Réthly’s cinematography is moody and stark, suggesting the foreboding secrets that come light later in the story. There’s a practical suit that is fantastic and looks far better than the ones used in feature-length productions centered on or around such creatures. The screenplay wisely dishes out information as needed, so minus a phone call on a train in the beginning, nothing feels like an exposition dump.

Reunion is creepy, dramatic, and visually stunning. Lakatos knows exactly what makes fairytales timeless — the terrifying undercurrent of what’s lurking just underneath the facade. This short captures that same intensity wonderfully through strong acting and great cinematography.

For more information, visit the official Reunion Facebook page.