“Nondecomposable,” directed by Tobin Carter

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San Diego Short Film Festival

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Horror/Suspense

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TRT 5:00

 

Deandra (Pilot Paisley-Rose), a freshly dead woman, learns something unsettling about the afterlife from an angel named Shepherd (Eric Miller). I am definitely not going to go any further in describing the plot, because you really need to go watch this right now. Go on – it’s only five minutes.

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Carter’s films traditionally look like thoroughly professional productions, with interesting and better-than-competent sets and locations, costuming, sound, cinematography, writing and acting. “Nondecomposable” is no different. Every element of the short works together in such a way that he manages to tell a complete, coherent, interesting and atmospheric story that delivers a potent message in just 5 minutes. And even that time flies by!

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Paisley-Rose and Miller carry most of the film, and they both deliver a range of believable emotions efficiently and effectively. Sabrina Dunn and Shira Dina have less to do as two versions of Deandra’s friend Priscilla, but even they manage to nail the part. Carter sneaks himself into the film as, primarily, a device for receiving exposition. He has a single line, making it way too small a role to send it into self-indulgent territory – so kudos to him.

If you were ever a fan of any iteration of The Twilight Zone, you owe it to yourself to give this a watch.