Synopsis: A brief and haunting journey through the events that lead someone to take drastic steps to relieve their pain

My Take

The most complimentary thing I can say about Crestfallen, another moving short from the Jeremiah Kipp stable, is that it left me pining for the whole story. Settling somewhere between an extended theatrical trailer and a hauntingly scored music video, Crestfallen manages to guide you through a journey of love, betrayal, innocence lost and finally hope in just shy of 5 minutes. Delivered over a persistently melancholic score by horror composer Harry Manfredini (Friday 13th, Wishmaster) it is an entirely non-verbal, non-linear journey through what for so many is the only coping mechanism for betrayal; self harm. The only relief from the intangible emotional pain being the immediate and visceral pain of steel on skin.

While it is initially not obvious what drives Kipp’s nameless female protagonist to take such distressing steps, we are quickly provided a breakdown of her shattered path to self destruction through quick cuts of past relationships, life changing decisions and times of innocent optimism. They are all scenes that too many people will relate to and the beauty is that Kipp never lingers too long on a moment. Rather he understands that we can all see the reflection of our own relationships in the snippets he provides; a shared smile over a tequilla shot; the look of unrelenting fear when you walk through the door and know something isn’t right; the grip of an infant’s hand around your finger.

And yet, for all the heartache, Kipp leaves us with the slimmest slither of hope. A moment of humanity And for that I am grateful.

Conclusion: Melancholic, heartbreaking and sweeping. Crestfallen is an emotional journey in the space of time it takes to make a cup of tea that a lot of filmmakers fail to deliver with 2 hours and thousands of words at their disposal. I would love to see Kipp turn this into a low budget feature. I fear though that words would spoil it’s power. So maybe it’s best left just as it is.

You can find it here http://kippfilms.com/crestfallen.html

Verdict: 9/10

Director: Jeremiah Kipp

Score: Harry Manfredini

Cast: Deneen Melody