HEIR
Written and Directed by Richard Powell
Starring – Bill Oberst Jr. as Denis, Robert Nolan as Gordon and Mateo D’Avino as Paul .
Everyone has desires, nobody is exempt from this. Some of these desires are beyond the pale, and are considered to be taboo or even perverse.
Gordon has such a yearning he wishes to fulfill and makes arrangements with another party, so to do. What is more – he intends to involve his own son.
With his son (or shall we say heir) Paul in tow, Gordon heads to the restaurant that was chosen as a meeting place. There Gordon and Paul meet Denis, who is supposedly an old friend of Gordon’s. After a quick getting to know you period, they all head Back to Denis’ house to further “socialize”
That, which Denis and Gordon have planned, is unsettling. But it’s that which Gordon didn’t plan for, that is really horrific.
I have never reviewed a short film, and was trepidatious at first, for fear of giving too much away in synopsis. But I am definitely glad I gave this short film a go.
Powell made a pretty brave choice introducing aspects of pedophilia or child abuse into his story. Not that it hasn’t been done before, but a filmmaker must know the limit to which they can push an audience to on certain subject matter. I think he reached and did not breach said limit in a way that is disconcerting, but not wholly off putting.
Also pulling duty as this film’s director, Powell commanded really good performances – specifically from his two main cast members.
In the role of Gordon, Robert Nolan came across as a truly fatherly type. He also exuded a real sense of hesitation and even inner conflict about what he intends to do. Even though he is planning to take part in this little “play date”, he is uncomfortable with the situation and it is palpable.
Speaking of discomfort, I felt a great deal of it watching Bill Oberst get inside Denis’ skin and walk around. He made this character intensely creepy and even a mildly sinister. To say he performed this villainous role well would be to put it mildly.
Overall, the production values were above par for an independent short. The film had a good , clean look to it and the practical effects were very well done for the most part.
Christopher Guglick also provided some music, that helped give an ominous air to the film.
All things considered this is a really well done short film, with subject matter that fits solidly within the horror genre. If it disturbs its audience or makes them at all uncomfortable, the filmmakers have done their jobs well. Seeing what Powell can create in a time span under 20 minutes, makes me want to see what he can do with something feature length.
That being said, I’ll gladly give HEIR 7.5 /10
