Directed by: Mark Oxtoby Written by: Dawn Buckland, Mark Oxtoby Genre: Drama Length: 21 minutes |
Blood Means Nothing
Among the first few nightmares on the horrific list has to be child abduction. For parents, even such a passing thought is taboo. For the child? I can only imagine. Most parents would kill to protect their offspring, so is it any wonder a black market exists? I could write about slavery or the sex trade, but even loving couples and people - who cannot, for whatever reason, have a child of their own - are paying huge amounts of money in the hopes of becoming parents. For them, they don't care where the kid came from. They will be loved. But the people that provide this service are generally not the nicest of characters. That much is for sure.
This is what Amy Parker (Lauren Logan) quickly learns, when an old college friend thrusts her headfirst into the terrifying world of child trafficking. Why? Because one such kidnapped child refuses to speak, and Amy's abductors believe she can get the kid talking. Apparently, the interested buyers are only interested in a talking child. Can't have any of those hurt, lethargic kids out and about. Not speaking is not a good thing. As Amy goes about trying to formulate a plan to escape, an opportunity for herself and the kid to get away presents itself. As expected, things don't go completely as planned and a slight twist ending takes place. Needless to say - Amy does what anyone would do in her situation. Well... mostly. We'll get to that below but be warned - some slight spoilers will be within the next section. Simply put? Blood Means Nothing is an excellent short film. Well written. Very well acted and nicely produced. Oxtoby's title definitely doesn't come across as low budget. The characters themselves feel real and nicely cast; and the lens work, audio and pacing feel just right for the production. A lot is crammed into these 20 or so minutes, bringing me to my next point. Perhaps another minute or 2 wouldn't have hurt. The climax of this short title sort of felt a little rushed. Not involving the technical elements, or even the acting. It's Amy's realization of her parents involvement, that things derailed a little. Especially when considering her final solution. Even with things the way they were - I find it the smallest bit laughable, that she would shoot them. So quickly. These are still her parents. The people that raised her. I find it amusing that within 30 seconds she threw away an entire lifetime with them - shooting them as if they were strangers. No real considerations or thought. I know this is a short film, but in truth? That scene was just so outlandish, that any credit the excellent acting of the cast earned... went out the window. Plus the weigh in factor. On one hand she kills the people who raised her without much thought. On the other, she happily leaves with the man who drugged her. Maybe I'm thinking about this all a little more than I should? Maybe not. Let the viewers decide. Blood Means Nothing is still a great title, even with the little hiccup I wrote about above. A feather in the cap for all those involved with it's creation. I easily recommend and stand by my well above average rating. Well done and thank you for reading. |
