David (David Lewis) is under surveillance by the corporation that employs him. Fearing that he will sell company secrets to a rival on the eve of a major project launch, Glenda (Ingrid Torrance) tasks Sloan (Kurt Max Runte) with keeping tabs on David. But is he really a spy, or is something else going on with the increasingly stressed David?
Ed Osghian’s Shadowplay is a tense tale of corporate espionage. A short film thriller that isn’t afraid to turns things on its ear, the film manages to keep the mystery up long enough for ample engagement, and then wraps up in satisfying fashion.
Which isn’t always the easiest thing to do, especially considering how murky the narrative gets by its end. There is the possibility that you could guess where this one is going, it’s not entirely unfamiliar territory for a thriller, but the film does its tale justice regardless. Even if you figure it all out ahead of time, I don’t think it’ll be less enjoyable.
Shadowplay is a quality short film in every way in needs to be, with performances that are in the pocket from open to close. There could be the risk of getting too complicated with this sort of tale, but the filmmakers wisely left it to the suspense and mystery to sell the film, as opposed to making it a convoluted mess. Which is much appreciated; nothing worse than a film where the details of the MacGuffin are given more attention than any other aspect of production.
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.
You can watch Shadowplay along with eight other great short films as part of NewFilmmakers LA’s bundle tomorrow on filmbundle.com!