If you’re one of those people who simply cannot help but eavesdrop on people engaged in a serious conversation while in public, you will love Miles Trahan’s short film “Emasculation.” The film is basically just that; a man (Ryan Castro) and a woman (Jessica Lamdon) who meet up for a dinner date and immediately get deeply intimate into a touchy conversation. Trahan keeps his shots simple and frames each actor tightly. This, coupled with solid handheld camera work really adds to the feel that you’re a fly on the wall in a fairly realistic conversation that you probably shouldn’t be hearing, seeing as you don’t know these people. “Emasculation” is a simple story told well but its real strength is in the two actors.
Ryan Castro plays the kind of guy who just doesn’t get it. I could say more, but that would be giving it away. Jessica Lamdon as his girlfriend seems to know her beau’s shortcomings (in more ways than one) but the push and pull between them walks a careful line. I was glad to see two actors who are comfortable performing in front of a camera, as in many no-budget short narratives, the actors seem fresh from community theater and their performances reflect that in that they’re stiff and stagey. Not so here. Both Castro and Lamdon are good, naturalistic actors who perform well on camera.
Obviously the flaw in an 8-minute short is that it all happens so fast, you aren’t really able to immerse yourself in the story and by the time you do, it’s all over. But in “Emasculation,” this serves the story well at its core as the events seem real and what transpires wouldn’t take all that much time in real life. I like the way Trahan keeps his story and camera work simple while letting the actors carry the day. “Emasculation” is a well-done short that makes for an interesting 8-minute peek into other peoples lives.
This film was submitted for review through our Submission for Review system. If you have a film you’d like us to see, and we aren’t already looking into it on our own, you too can utilize this service.
