Christopher Smith Short films can be tricky. On one hand, shorts are the perfect format for a director to show off a certain set of skills as a way of getting noticed. On the other hand, it's very easy for shorts to seem pretentious and too artsy for their own good with a director trying too hard to impress. Amelia and Michael avoids such problems by having a simple style, one that compliments the quiet and soft-spoken characters. Director Daniel Cormack does a nice job of keeping a steady pace and never allowing the film or its title characters (expertly played by Anthony Head and Natasha Powell) to go into over-the-top territory. The decision to keep the music as minimal as possible in order to have the focus to stay on the emotions is the best part of the film. Without the typical sappy music playing in the background, Cormack allows the story to seem more honest and realistic than what one might expect from a such a dramatic piece. Perhaps there could have been an ending with a bit more of a kick behind it, but for all of its short length, Amelia and Michael is a captivating watch. 9/10

writers_reign There is, as another poster has pointed out, a very slick, glossy, professional feel to this film as if no expense was spared on obtaining top quality actors and technicians. It's the third film by Daniel Cormack that I've seen and the promise shown by the first two is maintained if not surpassed here. It can only be a matter of time before Cormack is given a budget for a full-length feature and if he continues to display the 'old' values it will be a feature worth seeing. He has mastered the art of compressing plot into one reel albeit a tad enigmatically with the enforced ambiguity being used as a weapon rather than a restraint. The idea of a sterile relationship requiring outside stimuli is not exactly new or riveting but, as I never tire of saying, it's all in the wrist.

Lechuguilla A husband and wife in upscale London embark on separate covert liaisons that may or may not break up their marriage. Amelia (Natasha Powell) and Michael (Anthony Head) appear civil toward each other, with nary a hint of outward strife. But something is wrong between them. What motivates their secretive behavior? What else are they hiding from each other and from us? The viewer must fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle.To the script's credit, characters connect with the audience largely through facial expressions, and through body language in general. Dialogue is wonderfully minimal. Peripheral characters add depth to the drama, and do so without intruding on the story's central focus. What we seem to have here is a story that explores the clash that can occur when commitment to a spouse interferes with, or contradicts, one's commitment to self, when the marriage has become stale.Production values are terrific. Location shooting imparts a sense of realism. Lighting and framing enhance visuals. Cinematography features lots of close-ups, which accent the focus on characters. Casting gives us a photogenic group of people. And the performances of Natasha Powell and Anthony Head help lift the film to a high level of professionalism.My only complaint is the story's slow pace. A number of scenes seem unnecessarily long, given the film's runtime. I could have wished for tighter editing to speed up the action. But that's just me. Other viewers may be happy with a leisurely pace."Amelia and Michael" is a quiet, low-key character drama that seems deliberately enigmatic. I can envision a feature-length film that uses this short as the basis for a Middle Act. In an expanded version the first part of the script would explore back-stories, ancillary characters, motivations and conflicts. The ending would convey the outcome of these forces on Amelia and Michael and related effects on those around them. I love a good mystery. This short film certainly qualifies, and presumably so too would an expanded version.

UnchartedFilms This short film shows how a good director and a fairly simple idea can tell a dramatic story (with all it's complexities) in ten minutes, that somewhere else could take two hours to unfold. Beautifully shot and great performances by the actors. A marriage is going through a rough patch, whatever the causes, we see the effects. It's a tale about the lack of communication between a man and a woman. Much is told by their silences. The end will make you want to know what happens next as Micheal says "it was just the once," confessing to what he's done, and Amelia crumbles having reached breaking point for more than just her husband's betrayal.