Distraction (2013) User Reviews

The Technical Merits Compensate For The Story

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 19 February 2014]

A mental screenwriter is chastised by his producer and told to work on the ending of his screenplay . Suffering writers block he decides to hire a prostitute to distract him from the pressures of work

Much of the function of a short film is to put everyone in the production in the shop window . Sometimes some people in the production are closer to the glass than other production members . With DISTRACTION the two production members at the front of the queue are editor Kirk Smith and cinematographer Kurt Stevens . It is a very well shot and edited short film , nothing brilliant but more than adequate . The story itself is something I wasn't entirely taken with and contains a bit of illogical unexplained moments that seem merely to exist to set up the inciting incident . Not a bad short film but hardly memorable apart from the editing and photography

Glossy calling-card which is slick but unmemorable due to lacking writing

[bob the moo · 28 February 2014]

This short film starts with a shot of the main character waiting in a room with a gun while police lights illuminate the walls around him. From here we jump back to a failed scriptwriting meeting with his boss where he is criticized for how awful his rework is and in particular the weakness of the ending. The scriptwriter then decides to pick up a prostitute and head out to a motel away from distractions aside from those he decides to have himself.

This short film started really well, with a hook and a good narration to draw me in but unfortunately the more it goes on the less convincing and engaging the story becomes. Essentially the plot is just a holding pattern to a series of reveals in the final minute and when these don't really work it doesn't leave too much else to work with. The reveals should inform and deepen the experience but in reality it does the opposite, leaving not too much left to look back on and be impressed by. Well, this is true in terms of the film as a film, but it does have several qualities which mean this short will be a good thing for people to showcase themselves and use as a calling card.

The direction, cinematography and the editing are impressive and I liked the audio work as well because technically the team have constructed a stylish and effective product which feels and looks better than it is. Steeves is good in the lead role and his laid back voice works well as narrator, giving the film's style a coolly laconic edge. Andersen is good in her simple supporting role and her sexuality suits the "style" focus of the film. It is glossy and technically well made but ultimately this is not enough to justify watching the short because outside of this there is not to say. The film is right – a good ending is hard and in this example it is not helped by there being a weak story leading up to it.