Pascal Payant‘s short film On the Horizon is a visual poem. As two women (Jolene Kay & Mariel Gomsrud) stand in significantly differing locations, one lost in the dryness of a desolate landscape, the other along the rolling waves of the beach, voiceover informs us of emotional pain and suffering. The one lost in what appears to be a dry lake or riverbed is distraught, has been crying and the words would lead us to believe this is our victim. On the other end is the woman strutting among the waves, carrying a predatory gaze and exuding strength in each movement.
And in a film this short (while it may kiss five minutes overall, it’s more like three minutes and change of visual or narrative content), sometimes the strength of the piece is in deciphering the layers beyond the obvious. While the women easily fall into the characters of the damaged and the damaging, their locations also give another piece of the puzzle; the power of water, and the abundance on one side while the other remains parched. At the same time, if you look at it as sea water, though it may seem to be capable of quenching your thirst, it’s really a fast track to death if you indulge, no matter how thirsty you are.
Overall, On the Horizon is a short film that looks quite good, and has enough layers, no matter how surface you may or may not engage with them, to carry it through. The overall mood of the piece is only enhanced by the score by Havenaire, which carries a significant importance because, frankly, if you changed up the voiceover and threw on a different set of sounds, perhaps cheeseball commercial fare, for example, you could possibly turn the imagery from a strong visual poem into a shitty pharmaceutical commercial. All depends on your perspective and purpose, and thankfully this short, as it currently exists, went a more interesting route.
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.
