Starring: Tara Shayne, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Andre Bolourchi

Written & Directed By: Enrique Garcia

Released: 2008

now available to buy on DVD at http://closingyoureyeswonthelp.com/

Grade: B

In the Dark shows us one night where Sarah (Shayne), a college student is babysitting the teenaged, but blind and mute Alex Emerson (Alvarez) while his parents are out. Sarah invites her boyfriend, Roger (Bolourchi) over to give her some company. By inviting him over she might be just putting him in danger though. Lights start flickering and Sarah fears that there must be someone else in the house. She tries to protect Alex and Roger, but their entrapment of the house might be keeping them right where the killer wants them until he strikes.

The film looked pretty good visually as an independent short. The blood is realistic, but fairly minimal. Gore was not the objective writer/director, Enrique Garcia was aiming for. He concentrates more on the mystery of what is going on and who is behind it. The music and lighting help him in this goal, adding the suspense while Sarah is trying to figure out what is going on and how she can try to escape alive. One thing I would have liked to seen elaborated on is the build up from the point the lights are going on and off to when we actually see our characters attacked. More visuals or dialogue would make this sense of danger seem more effective. It is only 19 minutes long so there isn’t as much time for this stage than there might have been In a full length feature.

Aside from the character of Alex, none of the characters necessarily had too much that they had to reveal about their inner nature, but the acting is pretty strong. Tara Shayne as Sarah was somewhat derogatory in her treatment of Alex. Nothing drastic, but it was clear that she looked down and him and resented the fact that she was babysitting rather than working at a job that could advance her career. When the danger becomes more evident she shows determination and desperation to get out of the situation she finds herself in. Brian Jordan Alvarez gives the best performance of the film as the silent and blind, Alex. His actions in the beginning are very natural. Although, he seems somewhat removed it is also clear that he is an intelligent man that isn’t blind to the way others see him. He knows people look down on him and clearly doesn’t feel like he should have to answer to someone who treats him this way. It is an interesting character that could go even further since as a mute there is a lot that we still don’t know about him. Andre Bolourchi has the smallest role of the three as Roger, Sarah’s boyfriend. He does well with what he has though in his attempt to be the protective boyfriend when the events that will unfold are likely out of his hands.

In the Dark really depends on the level of mystery and the question of who and why. I will attempt not to give too much away to preserve this, but the motives of those involved is without a doubt the most interesting aspect of the film. Revenge is clearly a factor targeted at those who take advantage of the life they have and everything that goes with it. Sarah’s bad treatment is part of it as well which comes back to haunt her through the bad treatment she is about to receive herself. We are shown this through an environment that is expected to completely safe, but the unexpected makes it a place of terror. We see how witnessing someone when they are down can give another more strength in that moment than they possibly have ever had. This says a lot about the human mind and questions why someone always has to be the fallen one to give another a feeling of strength and this needed sense of superiority.

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