Shot during the global lockdowns of the ongoing pandemic, Full Disclosure is a short film that, while hilarious, is probably most people’s personal nightmare.
Full Disclosure is a new indie horror short film from award-winning writer/director Michael Strode (Black Gulch). The film stars Rebecca Turner (Loving, Run), Alexandra Bayless (Halt and Catch Fire, Criminal Minds), Gogo Lomo-David (Shameless, Zoo), Kimberly Woods (Westworld, Archer), and Eric Elizaga (For Life, Elementary) with music by Linus Lau (Last Girl Standing, A Clear Shot). Commenting on his inspiration for the film, Strode stated:
I wanted a project that could be done safely during the pandemic. I was watching a Q&A with Oren Peli on the future of found footage horror, and he said the next wave was probably out there being shot on Zoom. I paused the video and the whole project fell into place.”
Firstly, the film was not what I was expecting at all. While it certainly is nice to go into a film blind, we don’t often have that option as reviewers. After reading the synopsis, I was expecting something like Livescream, Host, or Unfriended. Sure, the plot is incredibly similar to the latter two, but the “vibe” of Full Disclosure was something else entirely; something more of a dark comedy. It definitely worked for the film and made it more entertaining than it did outright scary. Some of the dialogue is very tongue-in-cheek and quite witty. I was left grinning rather than grossed out or frightened.
This was also one of the few occasions where I think stereotypes over actual personalities was a good call, and you are not going to get me to admit that often. With such a large cast for such a short film, one needed an already established–slightly clichéd–clique of characters. We are pretty much able to get a good grasp of who’s who and what’s what within the first two minutes of the film, which may be a world record! Jesting aside, the casts’ ability to dial into their characters so well is what makes the film work. There is also the feeling that they are really having a lot of fun making this, which adds to that dark sense of humour mentioned previously.
Full Disclosure is most definitely a passion project–a film made during trying times to bring about a bit of joy. The production value is therefore pretty low, with laptops and cellphone cameras being the source for most of the video and audio. This gives it a bit of that found footage feel but absolutely adds to the authenticity. One can tell that, although the film was recorded via simple devices, the editing and post-production were top-notch and the final product is definitely something to be proud of.
Our big bad isn’t all that big or that bad…his getup was literally my Halloween costume this year so I’m not feeling very creative as I write this. Am I really that unoriginal? Anyway, the outfit was apt and I totally understood the sneaky little message that the film tries to deliver: Covid-19 has forced us to change our ways and in doing so, has helped us to see who people really are through their actions and the way they treat others. That said, Full Disclosure isn’t really all about the message but more about making the most of a bad situation and having a little fun while doing so. We have adapted and are trying new things.
The film is already available to stream and has been released on YouTube. I had a lot of fun with it and I can pretty much guarantee you will too if you have had at least one Zoom call with friends and family over this pandemic. It’s a bit of horror and a bit of humour in just the right measurements. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. Links and such below.
