Beholder Short Film Review

January 29, 2019 at 2:30pm
By Jason Stettner

The Beholder Short Film is directly influenced by the game of the same name. This definitely does stand out by itself, being a rather interesting look at the watchful eye of one man running a complex. For those that are familiar with the game, this film is a good representation of what's present in that experience. It's short obviously, but concise and stylistic in capturing the essence of what it's like to be playing that game. It just takes that style and presents it in a video format, which works.

When it comes to people wanting to watch this freshly, it is a rather brief yet fascinating look into a strict police run society. There's not really a direct narrative of seeing this in action, but you get the elements of certain directives and of course direct police based interference. It follows one man, the watcher of many screens as he deals with those under his roof whether that's through traditional channels or by performing other methods. They really do get the just of the game, this whole concept could work well as a full thriller quite honestly. I do like how it's presented here however, lots of style and a direct take on it. Again, this is great even if you haven't heard of the game.

The majority of this presentation is backed by music, a series of lyrics that directly assist in telling the narrative and presenting an extra layer to the quality. You can really feel the sense of oppression and the weight of one individual attempting to run things.

The aftermath of these dealings, all in a rather fast paced run time. I loved the aesthetic of what they presented here. Very dark, with well shown highlights to some of the darker moments. This being a neat comparison of dark acts with an extra sense of light to them, you'll see what I mean while viewing. The acting was generally fine, not much to be said other than their subtle interactions.

The Conclusion

There's a lot to be stated in The Beholder Short Film, it captures the essence of the game while also presenting a dark look at the one watching. It's all about the viewer, the one that is forced to engage and control those that live in this building he runs. There are many ways to handle this, you get to see those options presented and how they are carried out.

It has some interesting themes and while it was extremely fast paced, you get the full concept of what's going on. It looked great, being well shot and having some authentic environments. There was one particular shot at the end that I absolutely loved. The acting was solid, the music was used well and this was generally great.

Beholder Short Film Review at Home with Streamed Viewing
Screening Provided by GOPublX

Rating Overall: 8.2