Austrian director Peter Koller sent us a copy of his short film SKRYPT to chow down on recently. I duly popped it into the gaping maw of my DVD player and spent some QT with this dark skinned lady. So do you need to read this SKRYPT, or should it languish in development hell? Read on to find out.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?:
It tells the tale of an un-named man delivering a script to another un-named man for a lot of cashola. Trick is, the package carrier has to read it first to get the money. What happens when he reads it? I’m not sure.
WHAT WORKED?:
The cinematography in this puppy is outstanding at setting a dark and gritty atmosphere. We may not understand exactly what’s going on, but it’s immediately clear that these are shady people doing shady things. The acting is also relatively solid from the two leads, especially the Package Carrier. You can clearly sense his discomfort with the situation even though it’s obviously not unfamiliar territory for him.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK?:
Unfortunately for me, the story was uninvolving. On top of that it didn’t make any sense. There’s a twist at the end that is no doubt supposed to import some great meaning, but the film itself doesn’t let us in on the secret. Now directors like David Lynch have shown that understanding a film isn’t always necessary in order to enjoy it, but we have to at least find it interesting. I did not.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION?:
If obtuse European fare is your bag, then you just might dig SKRYPT and it’s stubborn refusal to give any answers. For the rest of you, it’s a great example of how a flick can get many things right, but if the story doesn’t hold up, it’s just another impressive indie technical exercise.