Horst in Translation ([email protected])
"In the Dark" is an American 15-minute live action short film from 2013, so this one will have its 5th anniversary next year. Writer and director is Bettina Bilger and she is also the lead actress in here. This is the story of a couple and the funny complications they run into during the early phases of their relationship. I must admit that early on I thought she was a burglar or something, but maybe that's just me. At times, I felt that this had promise, even if it probably wasn't the most memorable (short) film of all time. But then there were scenes like the one near the end when both are with others and talking so loud that they can hear it through the walls. This was definitely a bit on the embarrassing side. And also with everything that happened, like the scene I just mentioned, I would say it is unrealistic that they are getting back together actually, but that's exactly what they do at the very end. I think the performances were good by pretty much everybody, especially Bilger and Tuohy and McDonald, but all in all the film at its very core, i.e. the romance and the comedy, was simply not good enough. There were occasionally promising moments when I really wanted to like it, but eventually I gotta give it a thumbs-down. Not recommended.