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Cast: Vanessa Emme, Patrick O'Brien, Brendan Sheehan
A woman is haunted by a dark watcher, a man obsessed with thoughts of her vicious murder; but as the fateful hour draws near brutal events unfold to reveal truths they could never imagine - and a secret that will change their lives forever.
"The film opens with an aerial shot of a dense forest. The camera then pans down into the forest where a man is standing alone and seems to be touching leaves which are on the ground. A radio feed is saying that another girl is missing and authorities speculate whether or not it is part of the same series of murders that involved three other women before. We are then introduced to Maeve and her co-worker, Cian.
We can tell they are friends but I also got a feeling that Cian wanted things to go further than that. After the two have lunch, we see them as they are walking and a man is watching them. The same man from the forest. As he is watching, he begins to have strange visions about Maeve. Could the man be the serial killer looking for his next victim or is he the watcher who is looking to protect her?
I can go on and on about what happens in the film but I am not going to spoil it for those waiting to see it for themselves. 'The Observer Effect' is a 19 minute Short Film from first time Writer/Director, Garret Walsh. He knocks it out of the park here, the film is full of mystery and suspense and it doesn't reveal all of its secrets until the very end. The film itself is beautifully shot and its gloomy look created the perfect atmosphere needed for the story. I got that Sherlock Holmes/Jack the Ripper feel almost immediately.
Garret Walsh has created a mystery/thriller that keeps you glued to the screen in anticipation and it has you thinking about it long after it is over thanks to the clever and shocking ending. The acting is another thing that makes the film so good. Vanessa Emme, Patrick O'Brien and Brendan Sheehan are all amazing in the film. The production values are fantastic, as I mentioned already the film looks beautiful.
'The Observer Effect' got me interested right from the start and I was invested the entire time. This is a tense and engaging film that left me both satisfied and wanting more. The story is brilliant and it fits perfecting into the film's 19 minute run time but I was also left wanting a lot more. I think it would also make for an amazing feature film as well. Writer/Director, Garret Walsh and his entire cast and crew should be very proud of what they created here. I certainly will be keeping an eye on this talented new film maker. I cannot wait to see what he does next.
The film has just now begun some Festival screenings so I highly recommend checking out the film's Facebook page HERE to find out when and where you might be able to check it out. I have no doubt about this being a smash hit during its festival run so I highly recommend checking it out as soon as possible.
Released by Dark Window Media
***** Out Of *****