Synopsis:
YouTube personality Gabrielle Alexander, known for her “at work” reaction videos and paranormal videos stars as the titular role in “Sylvia”, a drama short film with underlying themes of horror. The film follows a young painter named Sylvia as she and her bed-ridden mother (played by Evelyn Sabbag) face foreclosure of their home.
While not something most would consider a horror short in the technical sense, director Carlie McCann definitely nails the atmosphere. Slyvia is labelled as a few different things in a few different places online; drama, mystery, horror…yet each of those doesn’t quite fit the bill either. It feels to me more like the ending of a tragic tale that has been dragging out for a long, long time—a story easily pieced together but one that gets progressively more depressing.
The film’s biggest strengths are Alexander’s arts; the acting and the painting. The artwork was quite dark, fitting the feel of the film and the general aesthetic quite well. The visuals of the house and the colour tones used again add to melancholy of the overall mood, one of gloom and hopelessness. Alexander herself proves that she is no stranger to the camera and was a fantastic lead. Her mopy, mildly-emo character left us able to empathise and care, her big heart still generous and giving in spite of her precarious position in life. Winning over an audience in a short film is no mean task and Alexander seems to do so rather effortlessly.
The film hints and hums at darker themes which made my mind jump around, attempting to guess possible twists or turns. Why are the windows boarded up? Why is her “mother” clearly generations older? Is there some supernatural, vampiric conspiracy? Are the paintings holding evil entities? For all my wild imaginings, the truth was a lot more human than I was prepared for. McCann explains in her director’s statement that the horror of living through a home forclosure was the inspiration for this film; that Sylvia was made for all the people who have been through similar circumstances. This event in her live had caused her entire family to separate and taught her how fragile our current existence really is. McCann explains that “much of your life and [the] things you had in it can suddenly go away and never come back. The only way to revisit that place is your memories and dreams.”
My biggest critique would probably have to be the sound quality. The visuals were fine, with some decent use of angles and variety of shots, but the audio often sounded like it had been recorded on someone’s phone or low-quality mic. Thankfully, the film is more of a visual than auditory journey so this gripe is definitely a small one. The film closes with actress Rajee Narinesingh making a guest appearance, though what point this had or how it added to the content of the film, I have no idea. Throwing in someone of obscure celebrity at the end seems gimmicky, although perhaps I’m just overthinking this.
Overall, I enjoyed Sylvia. Of course, I wanted something a bit more freaky or fantastic, as that’s what I’m used to, but this was a well-made—albeit a little depressing—short film. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. Poster below.
