“Burial Party” is a dark, tense, short film that shows how far some people will go to earn a few bucks. In this case, that someone is
Jacob (Ben Pace), a twenty-six-year-old guy whose hard life is about to get a bit worse. He finds himself sitting on a folding chair in a warehouse in front of several very rich people who are waiting for him to put on a show. When the organizer of the sick event (Stefano Riznyk) hands Jacob a box, the fun is supposed to begin.
This is one of those movies you can’t stop watching, and it will stick with you for a few hours afterwards. It has its flaws (mainly in some of the acting), but the story, direction and music keep it from drowning. In fact, Thomas Lathem, who supplies the music, does such a superb job of setting the mood that you can’t help but sweating a bit as you watch the events transpire.
Writer/director Joseph Dodge is a man to watch. This short film of his was about three minutes away from turning into some pure Hell Cinema, as I like to call it, and that is no casual compliment. I expect more good things to come from this guy, but if this is the last thing he ever does … well, it’s quite a mark to leave on the world of short film.
