88:88 Nails Isolation, Helplessness, Triumph

Normally, I don't really go for amateur short films. Usually their creators spend so much time perfecting the on-screen aspects of their craft -- lighting, framing, special effects, and what have you -- that they forget all about the story. But while 88:88 (a top-ten finalist in YouTube's Your Film Festival) tells a tale genre aficionados will find familiar, Director Joey Ciccoline uses a deft touch to infuse the proceedings with an effective sense of foreboding. A sense of social isolation suffuses the film's first half as Val, the protagonist, ignores messages from her doctor's office and a phoned plea from an old flame while undergoing a suspicious home-renovation project. The second act, well, let's say just say that it nails the feeling of utter helplessness -- and unexpected triumph. Watch the whole thing below:



(Hat Tip: TheDailyWh.at)