The weekend film festival seems to be the new trend in festival filmmaking. Such events appear to attract all types of filmmakers; from junior high school students to professionals armed with sizable budgets. “Moved” was created as part of the 2004 Atlanta 48 Hour Film Project and there is undoubtedly some professional muscle behind the piece. At the same time, a short as concrete as “Moved” would be tricky to pull off regardless of who was backing the production and the film definitely represents an impressive creative (and seemingly collaborative) force. It’s a solid short with a terrific cast and it’s no surprise that it walked away with Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Editing, as well as the coveted Audience Award.
Noel Franks (R.T. Steckel) is an average guy stuck in a thankless job. The only difference between him and every other corporate slave in America is the fact that he posses a Jedi-like talent for moving objects without ever touching them. However, apparently Noel’s ability is both a blessing and a curse, as, unfortunately, his skills are a little less honed than your typical Jedi and tend to create quite a mess for him. In light of his lack of control, Noel keeps his skill a secret until one day when he is caught in a foiled robbery and is forced to use his powers to save the girl of his dreams.
“Moved” is as action-packed as it is funny. It’s filled with accomplished and motivated hand-held camera shots that help propel the action driven narrative (the point of view angles are especially well done). The composition of every shot seems thoughtful and there isn’t an aesthetically dull moment in the 8-minute short. The performances are somewhat stylized (appropriately so) and are, for the most part, exceptional (Tony Guerrero is outstanding). An incredible amount of character development occurs in a short period of time. “Moved” is well written, and directed and impressively performed and would stand up as a solid short regardless of its production time table, but considering it was completed in a weekend, I’m pretty damn impressed. Long live the 48-hour fest.
