7 minutes
2009, 7 minutes
thriller
Press Review // The following review is taken from duleynoted.net 7 Minutes Murder by Numbers. The initial look of Louisa Fielden's "7 Minutes" is nearly as jarring as the murder that kicks off the short film. Tonally altered black and white images instantly establish a starkness worthy of Frank Miller and frame the debauchery to follow. Focusing on a stoic assassin in a black tie (Andrei Zayats), "7 Minutes" plays out like a how-to guide for quickie murders. An unseen voice directs the assassin's movements. He obeys in real time. The succinct calculation of the plot, while simple, is engaging. Much of the intrigue is owed to the distinctive esthetic, which makes the film a chain of strikingly composed still images. Augmenting the urgency, a minute-by-minute countdown repeatedly appears to label the assassin's work. Then, at what should be the simplest point of the scheme, the plan goes awry. What shakes the murderer's composure when all is going well? Good question. And it's one that Fielden allows to exist after viewing. For those tantalized by an ellipsis rather than a period at the end of their movies, the final moments of "7 Minutes" will be satisfyingly unsatisfactory. By refusing to wrap everything up in a neat little bow, "7 Minutes" does exactly what a short film should. It starts with a bang (quite literally), stays engaging throughout, and leaves the viewer clamoring for an eighth minute in an oppressive North London flat.
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