Wake Up (I) (2009) User Reviews

Very promising

[jerome-loustau · 8/10 · 21 January 2010]

I am not an expert in reviewing movies but I liked the script, the visuals and the soundtrack. The introduction is well done, it takes you straight into the atmosphere and what the movie is about: violence, fear and tension. Words are tough, which contributes to this atmosphere. The slow down, change of music type and zoom on Olivia's face is nicely done as well. However, thought that the relation with Olivia goes too quickly and therefore loses some credibility. But that's probably a more fundamental issue in general with short movies: not much time for a well rounded story. In a nutshell, well done, especially for a first one and with very few means. Keep it up!

Classic themes / strong impact / nice treatment

[eliabynight · 7/10 · 18 January 2010]

Classic themes of teenage violence and sexual attractions but with a very enjoyable and entertaining treatment. Alex is young violent teenager given a chance to redeem himself. He needs to confront his impulses and the seduction game of the foster mom, while the husband seems to bound with a kid like a father.

There are some strong visuals (The shot on the hands for instance or the bathroom sequence; which is not without reminding me Witness in a way) gave me the chill.

Music powerfully accompanies the piece. All in all, this short is somewhat a powerful and efficient piece. The pace is really well managed and all I could hope for is more or it... I guess that is a very positive sign.

Snapshot of suburban drama, sensual and brutal, a visual treat

[elamusat · 10/10 · 2 May 2010]

Very well constructed, very visual, great use of music and excellent build-up. It's a snapshot of a fairly classic story which could easily be made into a feature film and which the author manages to compress perfectly into a sequence of scenes which take you naturally from the past, through the inner fantasy world of the two characters and finally into the brutal present. It's amazing how the music manages to tell the story almost as well as the characters do. It's a movie with little dialogue but full of things unsaid and I think this is what makes it strong and believable.

I like Alex's character, you can feel from the outset that there is a lot of teenage anger and frustration bottled up and ready to explode but you are left wondering until the very end if he will break. I think the bathroom scene is the climax and the sexual tension is so palpable that you can hardly believe they are not even touching at that point. You are definitely left wanting more when the spell breaks and the brick falls.