BURN

As the short film opens, an older man (Tim Abell) is relating a survival anecdote to a younger man (Andrew Sheffield), who is bound and bloodied. We’re not sure what the relationship between the two men is, but the older man appears to be exacting no small measure of revenge for something the younger man did, or was planning on doing, to a woman they both know. Is it the older man’s daughter? Sister? Regardless of the “who” or “why,” the younger man is in an extremely uncomfortable spot, eventually left to make a decision of how this entire experience will end.

Burn is a nasty little revenge flick, and just when I think I’ve seen every disturbing nugget film has to offer, I get reminded that, nope, still stuff out there to have nightmares about. I don’t want to give anything away, but the options the young man is given for how things will end are gruesome, cruel and unpleasant, any way you look at it. He might get out alive, but he ain’t walking away happy.

This is an intense five minutes, which makes me wonder how, or if, I’d be able to handle an extended tale told by the same filmmaker. That said, for all the cringe-inducing elements showcased in this short piece, it’s all done so well I actually want to know more about the story. Always leave them wanting more? Looks like it, and what does that say about me?

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