THERE ARE NO HEROES - REVIEW (Short Film)

THERE ARE NO HEROES - REVIEW

Awesome Image from TANH

 There are no Heroes is simply a stunning visceral achievement for a South African short film, that manages to not only to intrigue but also has a story that is well fleshed out and yet doesn’t suffer under its weight.

 

Its hard not to get into too many specifics without spoiling the film, I’ll described the film as somewhat of a psychological sci-fi. The film is set in the not to distant future, with the film’s plot is described as follows: Several years after a nuclear power plant in Cape Town had a meltdown; a young single-mother and factory worker must fight to survive in this dystopian future ruled by a sinister pharmaceutical company called DARCORP.

The right tone is always needed when dealing with a futuristic type film, because if the tone of this futuristic world fails to impress or is over the top, you will immediately lose interest or find the whole premise ridiculous. TANH I’m glad to say does not have that problem. The film uses the right locations in order to create a world that’s familiar to us but that has been affected by disease, destruction and corruption.

Corruption clearly seems to be a central theme in the film. DARCORP is by all means the corrupted corporation that has managed to weasel there way up the food chain, to a point that they are setting the Laws, never mind just being above them.

With the clever use of an eerie beautiful cut opening scene, as well as various news bulletins through out the film, we get to know everything we need to know about the DARCORP without known of the characters really having to explain anything about this corporation.

Gareth Place (Cinematographer)

From effects, to lighting, to sound, this film really just impressed. This film really shines through with impressive sound editing by John Classen, who put together a wonderful unnerving soundtrack that plays wonderfully to each specific scene. Giving just the right tone needed to keep you all your senses focused on the film.

For a film that has done so many things so brilliantly it really is difficult for my mind to process that this is a student film. Yes a student film, directed by Kyle Stevenson who wrote the story with Donald Leitch, which is based on a short story by Charlie Human entitled “Land of the Blind”.

Director Kyle Stevenson, really proves to be a force to reckoning in this film, with a wonderful eye for detail, giving us just the right tone and the glorious use of the ‘close-up’ certainly makes him an exciting prospect for the South African film industry.

The film is astonishingly edited by Donald Leitch, as scenes a amazingly woven together.

Donald Leitch (Writer & Editor) and Marty Kintu (as Matt)

To conclude, There Are No Heroes is a short film, that is quite amazing, but smart as well. Its wonderfully crafted by a team of people that are extremely talented and is well acted out by a superb cast.

We really hope this opens a lot of doors for this team of people and hopefully gets them the funding needed to turn this into a full-length feature. With the ideas that’s in this film, we definitely see that as a possibility, and it goes with out saying that this film will definitely be a highlight at the Durban, Cape Town or any film festival it will be showing

Our Rating

10/10

A short film that not only demands your attention, but also keeps you intrigued. Definitely better than most SA films.