A FATHER’S DAY: A Beautifully Effective Zombie Short

A Father’s Dazombies Abi (Hazel Gibson) and George (Garth Maunders) as they stumble upon each other in the middle of a feeding session. The pair then attempt to reconnect, despite their somewhat peculiar circumstances.

Unconventionally Heartwarming

In the short’s mere nine minute run-time, the filmmakers are able to draw out an amazing amount of emotion. Almost instantly I cared for the two lead zombies; this is a true testament to both the amazing filmmaking on display here and the fantastic acting from both Hazel Gibson and Garth Maunders. Even without dialogue the pair are able to convince the audience of their past relationship as father and daughter; this is achieved through their excellent expressions and movements.

Another brilliant element of the short is its unique subversion of the zombie genre, which has become quite densely populated over the past decade with the likes of the immensely popular TV show The Walking Dead and large Hollywood blockbusters like World War Z. In the packed genre, it’s refreshing to see a zombie story where the main characters are not a group of survivors, but the zombies themselves.

Pure Cinema

The brilliant camerawork must also be commended; cinematographer Sam Twyman’s shot compositions are absolutely fantastic and really help draw out the emotion at every turn. Some of the short’s most effective shots feature a great use of slow motion, which instead of being used to ogle at impressive special effects, are being used to highlight raw emotion in the characters.

The whole short film is an excellent example of ‘pure cinema’, where visuals and movement are used to tell a compelling story, without the use of dialogue. This is achieved masterfully here, as the mise-en-scène and character expressions expertly tell the story. Whilst watching A Father’s Day, I was reminded of the works of Alfred Hitchc*ck, a director who had an excellent ability to tell a story without the use of dialogue.

A Father’s Day: Conclusion

In a genre which has become somewhat overstuffed over the past decade, A Father’s Day is a wonderfully subversive short film that is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. The tremendous acting and masterful directing all combine to make this a very effective short film that should not be missed. It is no surprise that it won Best Short Film at the Drunken Film Festival this year.

What are your thoughts on A Father’s Day?

A Father’s Day will be available via Short of the Week in 2018.