Establishing shots in a quick cut montage immediately creates a sense of anticipation in Nox.

We know that this story is about two professional burglars being tasked to attack a Senator’s home. How this will pan out? We aren’t sure, but despite starting out as a narrative we’ve probably seen before, Nox develops down interesting and confusing paths, making us question what’s real and what isn’t.

The mise en scene and setting in Nox lets viewers know that these people know what they’re doing. They have the silencer on the gun, are wearing leather gloves etc. As the short film went on though, I started to question their skill as they opened the creaky gate, rushed down the gravel footpath, whispered loudly and made noise as they moved furniture. My questioning was soon put aside though as it was made clear that these people think that no one else is there or they just don’t care.

On a side note, it was fun to see a call-back to the previous short film Vesper and have characters intertwining casually or being mentioned of.

The man in Nox has the attitude of wanting to get the job done. The woman is a bit more of a wildcard, seen when she takes a target out and is seemingly quite satisfied by it. I wish we had more time to explore this character development, relationship and circumstances behind why these characters are doing what they’re doing. Though of course I can’t expect the Director to dwell off the linear path too much as it’s only a 12-13 minutes short film.

Things start to immediately change when the two actors that play the man and woman are now playing the senator and his assistant arriving back to the house. Originally, I thought it could be a clever way to incorporate actors in multiple roles, but I soon realized that there was much more to this short film than meets the eye.

Who is altering and manipulating our perspective of the story and / or timeline? What is real and what isn’t? Like Vesper, viewers are left with a bunch of questions but that’s something that makes Nox special.

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It’s a rare thing to care for characters so soon in a film, let alone in the first three minutes of a short film.

In other words, when the film provides enough good backstory in merely a few minutes with not a tone of dialogue and narrative, not needing five episodes of backstory or hours of content before feeling some sort of connection to its characters. Good dialogue and good writing is probably the main reason for this and one of the reasons Vesper was an interesting short film to watch.

There’s a great sense of anticipation in Vesper after finding out that the main protagonist’s ex-partner or ex-husband has found her location and is coming after her because he wants to be with her even though she doesn’t. When the woman talks with her nephew, the background music and sound effects set the tone and continue to heighten over time, creating a nerve-racking ambience.

It’s interesting to have the woman’s ex linger over her in the scene despite not actually being present. Meaning she is the only one that is seeing him. When she tells her nephew it’s like he is watching over her, the film makes this literal. Having her ex present in the scene shows his power over her and makes the scene much more powerful as how strong his hold over her is.

The protagonist quotes that ‘fear makes you wonder if you will get out alive’, establishing and solidifying the position of her ex as a predator. This lingering darkness surrounds three central characters, the woman, the ex and the nephew. Of course, the teenage boy wants to be the hero and make things right, but you can’t help and roll your eyes at him, understanding that he means well, but knowing that he will not doubt loose.

Vesper developed into something that was ultimately about a woman’s denial, what’s really happening and the truth starting to come out. We discover that she’s hiding the truth from herself and she’s blocking it out. What’s real and what’s not real become confusing to the viewer as the film gives us multiple cuts and the main character waking up repeatedly. We wonder whether she’s telling the truth or lying, whether characters are alive or dead.

This unsettled narrative can be common in short film and leaves it’s ending open to interpretation. I tend to have a love / hate relationship with this and believe that others might be the same too.

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From French producer and director Keyvan Sheikhalishahi comes a slow moving yet dark tale of how one woman is haunted by those that she feared and loved.

Vesper is a French Short Film (English subtitled) consisting of three actors. It is slow moving and plays out in a drama-esque narrative.

Marge is a middle aged woman, living in fear of a former partner who, from what you assume watching the film is stalking her.

She invites her nephew Christian over to stay. He offers to protect Marge from her former abusive lover; Wall.

But there are clues throughout the film that Marge may not be of sound mind (or may even not be of this world anymore…) and is unable to come to grips with her very own actions as she shuts herself away from the world. What you see playing out is not actually as cut and dry as you may think.

Shot in scenic suburban France, there is outstanding cinematography in this quiet yet impacting movie.

Vesper is a tasty snack of a film encompassing dark motifs and references as to how we all ‘fit’ within the stars. Although for some it maybe too slower pace.

Vesper will haunt you and is a recommended see if you have liked other films such as Sixth Sense.

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