ReelBob — Short Film Forum: ‘Fate’s Shadow’ ★★★

By Bob Bloom

“Fate’s Shadow” is a cinematic teaser meant to whet your appetite for a feature film to come.

The story centers on a woman who is emotionally abused by a boyfriend, whom we never seen.

In the short film’s 10-minute running time, we come to feel sorry for the woman, Eva (Michelle Arthur, who also wrote and directed the movie) and strongly dislike Zach, the boyfriend.

We know Zach is a son of a bitch from snippets of information a friend tells Eva about him.

Zach is a player and, while Eva is smitten with him, it seems he cares much less for her.

The film introduces characters and situations that probably will be expanded upon in the feature.

For example, Eva tells her friend about visiting a hypno-therapist who revealed a past relationship from centuries ago in which Eva was a ballerina and Zach and nobleman, who had to abandon her and marry another so he could keep his fortune.

The short also introduces Zach’s mother and sister; the mother, especially, is a bitch, accidentally-on-purpose bumping into Eva, knocking her phone — as she is getting a call from Zach — out of her hand, then deliberately stepping on and breaking it.

“Fate’s Shadow” almost feels like an elongated trailer meant to promote the upcoming feature. The ploy works because if Arthur can concoct a script that expands on the issues she touches upon and teases in this short, the full-length movie should prove very interesting, especially if it magnifies on the past lives interactions between the Eva and Zach characters and examines issues of female empowerment and self-reliance.

Though the short was shot on a shoe-string budget with basically bare sets, it offers enough incentive to draw you back when a feature version is released.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

FATE’S SHADOW
3 stars out of 4
Not rated