Bottom Line: If you remember the mid-90s television show Eerie Indiana then you have a pretty good idea of what you can expect from Normally This Weird. It’s a quirky story of what happens to an average, geeky couple who move into a town where the neighbors are even stranger than they are.

When two newlyweds, Simon and Vanessa, both in their mid-twenties and essentially grown up kids, decide start their lives together in a brand new town, little do they realize just how weird their neighbors are. The Smiths secretly practice dark magic, the Archevils (pronounced Ark-uh-vuhl) experiment with dangerous super-science for insidious ends, the enigmatic and eye-patched Swivey Dinkle lives his own brand of suburban adventure, all while FBI Agent Danford covertly monitors everything

“Normally This Weird” is a comedy web series that explores the humor and drama of normal people dealing with very strange problems … and strange people dealing with incredibly normal problems.

Details

Cast: Michael Peterson, Lauren Henschen, Grace Steinbach, Liam Thibeault, Norian Lenz, James Hoenscheidt, Adam Marshall Rini, Noah Klinge, Jared Washburn
Website: Normally This Weird

Store: Shop At Their Store
Twitter: Follow Them On Twitter
Facebook: Join Them On Facebook
Vote For It: Normally This Weird

Ratings

While we still haven’t seen them used extensively, the shows effects are strong, adding to the overall campiness of the presentation. (Style 4)

The show is shot more like a television show than a web series, which leads to slower pacing and less “joke density” than you might expect. That being the case, it leaves them time to explore characters in more detail than you might be able to on a shorter show. (Pacing 3.5)

Storytelling 3.5

Polish 4

Watchability 3.5

The most impression part of this show is the characters, Simon and Vanessa’s neighbors are a screwball assortment of just about every science fiction trope you can imagine, and they play their parts impeccably. The only question that remains is whether future episodes will be able to make good use of this cast of crazies. (Novelty 5)

Overall Rating: 3.91 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: You know what you don’t see, anywhere near enough web series told through the magic of puppets — The Meatgrinder Show breaks this mold and gives us a raunchy, off-the-wall sitcom following the life of your standard 20-something cube worker and his magical puppet best friend. By magical I mean he poops playdo and fraternizes with terrorists.

The Meatgrinder Show™ (”TMGS”) is an independently produced absurd live action satirical webseries ruled by cartoon physics.

“TMGS” is best described as “Avenue Q meets “The Odd Couple”. It follows Meatgrinder and Zach, two roommates at odds who find that NO matter what problems they face, at the end of the day they’re always best friends.

Details

Website: The Meatgrinder Show (RSS)

Vimeo: Watch Them On Vimeo
Twitter: Follow Them On Twitter
Vote For It: The Meatgrinder Show

Ratings

Walking, talking puppets? Yea, that will get you a few style points. (Style 4)

Pacing 3.5

Storytelling 3.5

Polish 3.5

Strong sexual situations, poop jokes and some language concerns will put this high on the “parental discretion is advised” list but for anyone not particularly sensitive to that sort of thing this is a uproariously funny show. (Watchability 3.5)

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 3.66 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Dark and moody, this story has a lot of bite for a series based around what amounts to an ARG. Even with the somewhat wonky chronology you will find yourself quickly drawn into the intrigue if you can piece the story together.

DELETED: THE GAME is an interactive web series that promises to blur the lines between fantasy and reality by drawing viewers into an interactive social game. The 12 episode series begins with Tyler who is struggling to piece together her life after an accident left her with an amnesiac condition. Unexpectedly, she finds herself embroiled in an identity theft conspiracy and feeling overwhelmed, Tyler turns to her new online friends for help. All the main characters eventually become open for interaction. There are hidden trails of clues in each episode, all over the internet and even in real places, setting up a massive search for answers. For their participation, viewers earn points towards weekly prizes including the grand prize of an all-expenses paid trip to do a cameo with the cast.

Details

Cast: Charlene Miller, Shawn Parsons, David Rudd, Brian Seibert, Elia Monte-Brown, Megan Channell
Website: Deleted: The Game

YouTube: Watch Them On YouTube
Vote For It: Deleted The Game

Ratings

Style 3

Every episode delivers something interesting, the characterization is strong and in general it is a fun and addictive show for thriller junkies. That being said, the dialogue gets a little melodramtic in places but not so much that it will distract you from the overall arc. (Pacing 4)

Storytelling 3.5

Polish 3.5

The story hops around a lot, which does add to the mystery but also takes away from the plots coherence. There are a lot of scenes that are used over and over again with slight variations, which can also be distracting. (Watchability 3.5)

Novelty 3

Overall Rating: 3.41 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: While the pacing early in the series is uneven, this beautifully shot Hong Kong fantasy will draw you in the world of the mirrorspy.

LUMINA is an original web series written and directed by Jennifer Thym and starring JuJu Chan, Michael Chan and Vince Matthew Chung. Filmed on the RED One, the nine part web series is a dark, densely woven fantasy set against the sparkling backdrop of Hong Kong.

Lumina Wong is beautiful but works far too much; although she lives in a city of millions, she still feels lonely and isolated. Late one night, Lumina has a chance encounter with Ryder Lee, a handsome young man from another world that she can see in mirrors and darkened window reflections. She revels in the fantasy relationship until mirrorspy Eben Sanchez comes into her life, warning her of the treacheries of the people of the Dark Realm. Soon Lumina must choose between the safety of the world she knows and the deadly allure of the unknown.

Details

Cast: Juju Chan, Michael Chan, Jacob Ziacan, Shell Z. Zhu, Vince Chung, Emilie Guillot, Lawrence Milman, Kate Sullivan, Aisling Kinsella
YouTube Channel: Lumina
Website: Lumina
Support the Show: Watch Lumina On Koldcast

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Feed: Feed
Facebook Page Lumina

Ratings

The entire series is beautifully shot in Red One, the “mirrorspy” effect is believable and the Hong Kong backdrop that we find ourselves in is one of the most stunning of any web series I’ve seen. (Style 5)

My biggest criticism of the show is that it skips around more than it should, in the first few episodes so many cast members are introduced that you never really get a sense for any of them. Even the “Prince” feels more like a sketch than a fully developed character. In a lot of ways it feels more like a problem with the length of each episodes than the writing, and as things pick up I’m hoping we’ll have more time to truly get to know the people we are following. (Pacing 3.5)

You can really tell that a lot of time was put into the mirrorspy mythology, the story is rich and the concepts they are drawing on make you hope they get past the somewhat uneven pace of the early season. In all, unlike a lot of other single-concept based web series, Lumina really feels like you have been drawn into a new,different and altogether compelling world. (Storytelling 4)

Polish 4

Watchability 3.5

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Combining hand drawn animation with live action, Drawn By Pain delivers one of the most unique experiences you’ll have the pleasure of seeing on or off the Internet.

Young Emily once watched the world through blinders so the only thing she saw was the page on which she drew. Isolated, she tried to look away as her father gave her mother lessons in brutality from which she could only hide in her mind. But that rage, that fear growing deep within her would surface and once unleashed – could never be re-contained. Ten years older, the demons of old fuel her, empower her and push her to be the very thing she once feared: A monster in her own right.

A dramatic action packed 12-part series in a sea of comedic web content, “Drawn By Pain” engages its audience by leading them through an episodic spiral into one woman’s search for salvation as her animated madness fights for her sanity in the real world.

Details

Cast: Jesse Cowell, Erica Langworthy, Marissa Parness, Elizabeth Plevy, Guy Rader
Blip.tv Channel: Drawn By Pain
Website: Drawn By Pain
Support the Show: Visit The Drawn By Pain Store

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Twitter Page Jeskid

Ratings

This is a series you have to see to believe. The way they blend live action with animation is absolutely stunning and my only qualm is I wish they had the time to do more of it. Also, the interplay between the main character’s younger and older self and the demons she faces down is the sort of thing you would expect out of a much higher budget production. In all, this is a brilliant piece of work. (Style 5)

Overall the story is fantastic but some episodes seemed to drift, this is especially apparent near the middle of the series when we start to question the protagonists sanity. While I understand what they were trying to accomplish, and they did a good job of doing so, if they had added more exposition it would have helped to flesh out the themes. (Pacing 3.5)

Storytelling 5

Polish 4

This is a complete story in every sense of the word, you’ll find yourself stuck to your seat from beginning to end. Why the 4 then? Well, it’s also one of the darkest web series I’ve seen to date. It deals with issues of abuse, sanity and identity that wil make it difficult to swallow for some more sensitive viewers. If you can get past this you are in for a ride, I couldn’t give a stronger recommendation if I tried (Watchability 4)

Novelty 5

Overall Rating: 4.41 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: They need to make more episodes of this one. I know that Brett is doing a series of experiments and that it wasn’t necessarily designed for an extended run, but this is sharp, entertaining and has just the right amount of mystery to keep the plot from being overrun by camp.

It’s a web series about a mysterious set of cards and a group of people trying to uncover their, er, mystery.

Details

Cast: Katy Stoll, Brett Register, Craig Frank, Haley Mancini, Nellie Barnett
Blip.tv Channel: Absolute Disaster
Website: Brett Register
Support the Show: Watch The New Season Of The Crew At Babelgum

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Feed: Feed
Twitter Page Brett Register

Ratings

Style 3.5

This is another show from Absolute Disaster, the people who brought us Craig: The Werewolf Roommate. Unlike Craig, this one is a lot easier to follow and because they use the same device — the cards — in every episode, they manage to drum up some suspense with their comedy. Overall, this show is really well paced for having videos that come in at under 3 minutes. (Pacing 4)

J.J. Abrams says that when he’s designing a show he always tries to set it up with mystery boxes, which is to say, he wants to leave unanswered questions in the minds of his audience to keep them coming back. Lost and Found is not Lost, but as a series that takes more than a few nods from Mr. Abrams, it manages to hold true to the idea. It’s short, punchy and leaves you hoping that they develop the series further. (Storytelling 4)

Polish 4

Watchability 4

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 3.91 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Cafe Insomniac is a thinking man’s machinima. The visuals are well crafted but the real beauty of this story is trying to unravel what’s real and what’s a delusion.

Machinima is animated film-making within a real-time virtual 3-D environment. It uses the technology developed by computer gaming and transfers it to film-making.

Machinima has been around in a primitive form since the 1990’s, but it’s only been in the last year that the technology has existed to produce quality content.

Recently Warner Brother’s became the first film studio to release a machinima series – ‘Terminator Salvation: The Machinima Series’.

Details

Creators: Hardy Capo
Vimeo Channel: Cafe Insomniac
Website: Callous Productions
Support the Show: Hire Callous Productions For Machinima

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Feed: Cafe Insomniac
Twitter Feed Hardy Capo

Ratings

Style 4

Pacing 4

This has just about everything you could ask for out of a Machinima. The story is one twist after another, the camera work and animation is brilliantly done and the voice work is excellent. Not only that but each episode feels complete, which is the most common problem web series face, they are usually just under 10 minutes long and by the end you feel like the plot has actually moved somewhere. (Storytelling 4)

Machinima is pretty hit or miss. The trick is to make it feel like you’re not just watching a cleverly edited video game with voice overs. Cafe Insomnia does the job. The editing is crisp, the voices fit the action and the world manages to breath. We can only hope that as the series continues, some of the open questions are answered the the writing continues to be as good as the first three episodes. (Polish 4.5)

Watchability 4

Novelty 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.16 out of 5 stars

Typically I avoid Art House films. Not that I don’t think they are good (some really are) but because I think it’s a genre with such a limited appeal that it’s not worth sifting through the self-indulgence for the sparks of genius.

In Darkness is an Art House film, a visual poem if you will, and I screened it because it is also very, very good. Like many other films in this genre it’s obscenely dark, if you’re looking for hope and renewal you are in the wrong place. This is a film about death, pain and hate. That being the case, it is also quite beautiful, and it manages to express that beauty without entering into that hyper-kinetic music video territory that many films of this kind do.

There is a lot to praise about this film, it’s visually striking, it’s well acted and the set pieces are incredible. The only thing that takes away from it is that In Darkness does fall into the trap of taking itself a bit too seriously in places, while you can follow the story almost the entire way through the final act is muddled and I needed to view it several times before I completely understood what was happening.

In sum, this proves that experimental film work can be done with grace and style without becoming overly pretentious.

Creator’s Description

Love was cruel to him. The world had shunned him. He only found warmth in despair and misery. Yet the gods lurking within the Darkness weave a tale of their own for this victim of love. Rebirth is on the horizon. Life may yet continue under the smiling face of the darkness. Yet it’ll demand a price…

Details

Cast: Benjamin Blais, Hillary Keirstead, Ahsan Mogul
Vimeo Channel: In Darkness
Website: Enity Films

Ratings

Style 5

Pacing 3.5

A great, dark story about “awakening to darkness” but the slightly muddled third act breaks the flow. (Storytelling 3.5)

Everything about this is beautifully shot. (Polish 4.5)

This is an art house film and it feels like one from beginning to end. If you are completely against the genre, you might want to step away from this one. (Watchability 3.5)

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I usually have trouble deciding whether to use a “mind-bending” tag because well, I sat through Mulholland Drive and now everything seems pretty normal by comparison. This film got one though because in the realm of “going back in time to save a loved one” films this one has some serious panache.

The premise is pretty simple, a man goes to a parallel dimension to be with the woman he loves. Unlike similar explorations of this concept, instead of hiding away from his double in the new universe and wallowing in angst for about an hour, he decides to cut out the middle man and brutally murder his doppelganger.

As it turns out, this isn’t the first time or the first universe in which our “hero” has come up with this idea so what follows is one of the more bizarre looks at the nature of death and identity that I’ve seen.

Creator’s Description

Sometime in the near future. Three parallel universe, the girlfriend dies in each one, the guys cant take the loss. With an unsecured technology that accidentally made its way to the wide public, They decided to go for a ride to another parallel universe – our universe, in which the girl is still alive…

Details

Cast: Ehoud Eitan, Johanna Thelander
YouTube Channel: Kaus Media Films
Website: Kaus Media

Ratings

I have to respect a world where dimensional transportation devices are left completely unguarded and you have to use a motorcycle helmet as a heads up display. (Style 4.5)

Pacing 4

This pretty quickly devolves into murder porn, which is probably why I like it but does take away from the fact that he’s doing all of this presumably out of love. (Storytelling 3.5)

Polish 3.5

Watchability 4

Dimensional travel really hasn’t been this fun for a while. (Novelty 4)

Overall Rating: 3.91 out of 5 stars

It was hard writing this review because I can’t quite put a finger on why I like this film so much. The animation is stunning and has a kind of visual richness that is missing from many short animations that believe that technical flourishes can make up for good visual storytelling.

The music is also wonderful and it drives the story forward in a way that might have been impossible with dialogue.

While those are reasons for the good review, they aren’t why I like it so much.

When it comes down to it, there is just something sweet about this film. It’s a story of loneliness, friendship and hope told in less than ten minutes and with cartoon sensibilities. It’s like a bedtime story and I love it for the same reasons, it shows how magical and tenuous friendship can be.

It’s a story I wish was told this well more often.

Creator’s Description

Harmony is a young girl living on a cold and desolate Earth, alone and longing for friendship. While trying to tune into a station on her home radio one night, she picks up a melody that leads her to the moon.

Entropy is an emotional and dreamlike short that articulates feelings of loneliness, hope, and love.

Details

Creator: Dane Jacobs, Jeremy Hay
Youtube Channel: Rhubarb Zoo
Website: Entropy

Ratings

Style 4

Pacing 3.5

Fantastic visual storytelling. (Storytelling 4)

This is an absolutely beautiful film, from the animation to the ending theme. (Polish 5)

Watchability 4

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: This is one of those series that you need to look at in its entirety to appreciate. The episodes are short and slow moving, but the high concept could make it worth the wait for some.

In a world where no one dies and the sun never sets, an ex-priest enlists the help of a rag-tag band of survivors to find the fabled last remaining entrance into paradise…

Judgment Day has come and gone. Most of the world’s population and all the children have simply vanished. Those remaining cannot die, and do not age. They exist on an Earth frozen in time, where all sources of power and energy have ceased; a world where daylight never ends, nothing works, and the ocean is poisonous.

100 years later, the last chance for redemption rests in an unlikely soul. Steven, a man once of the church, now devoid of all hope or faith spends his days wandering the desolate streets in an apathetic daze. That is, until today.

Welcome to the post apocalyptic world of “After Judgment,” nominated for 6 Streamy Awards! Watch Season 1 of this original sci fi web series, and then delve into the lives of the characters and uncover the clues by watching “Before Judgment,” which contains lost footage of the events leading up to the fall of humanity and the aftermath that followed, as seen through the eyes of the survivors.

Details

Cast: Joel Bryant, Jim McMahon, Taryn O’Neill, Stephanie Thorpe, Monika Jolly, Gregor Manns, Kristen Huff, Mick Theyer, Fesa Salillas, Samantha Colburn, Mike Davies Jr, John Curtis, Andy Gross, Beth Fisher
Blip.tv Channel: After Judgment
Website: After Judgment
Support the Show: See Captain Film’s Other Productions

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RSS Feed: Feed
Facebook Page After Judgment

Ratings

Style 3.5

The episodes are too short, which makes the story difficult to pick up. Even after you watch a few you are still not really clear enough on what’s going on. Not only that but they have this thing about mixing up chronology which might work if the shows were longer but as it stands it just makes it confusing. (Pacing 2.5)

As stories go this is a really cool premise, the world has ended, the vast majority of people have disappeared and we get to see things from the perspective of the people who have been left behind. They can’t die — not easily at least — they can’t age and the sun never sets. Yes, it does bare a striking resemblance to a major plot premise in Tim LaHaye’s Left Behind series but once you get past the first act it starts moving in a much different direction. As I mentioned earlier, what brings this series down is the pace, it’s really designed to be watched back to back and only works when you take large chunks of the story in at the same time. (Storytelling 3)

Polish 4.5

I just can’t give this show my strongest recommendation. I like the ideas a lot but the execution could have been better. The first 30 seconds is usually a recap of the last episode and the last 30 seconds are the credits. That leaves about 3 minutes to build a story, and a good portion of that is monologue or silence. Usually you get one plot element thrown in there, but the wonky chronology makes that hard to put into the wider context. If you like the premise you should give this one a shot, but if you aren’t completely sold on that you might want to look elsewhere. (Watchability 2.5)

The novel series and bad made for DVD movie not withstanding, this is a really original idea. I’d suggest watching Before Judgment along with After Judgment as it really fleshes out parts of the story that might otherwise go over you head. In general, this is an all or nothing proposition, if you aren’t willing to commit to the entire run you probably won’t get much out of this. (Novelty 3)

Overall Rating: 3.16 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Beautifully strange is the best way I could describe this one. I hope that as the series progresses we start to see Dan’s character begin to grow and develop, this could be a lot more than a sketch series.

Dan Humford had an accident.

Now he’s in a coma, forever caught in the infinite white canvas of his own mind, where he’s haunted by memories, personal insecurities, and sometimes candy bars, old girlfriends, and a fetus.

Bite-size at 2-4 minutes each, Coma, Period. is a darkly irreverent comedy about our inept hero, Dan, and the ways he torments and rewards himself in the stasis of being in a coma. Starring comedian and web celebrity Rob Delaney, this actively original web series is hilarious, funny, comical, and as many other synonyms as you can find on dictionary.com.

Details

Cast: Rob Delaney
Strike.tv Channel: Coma, Period
Website: Lead Balloon
Support the Show: Make A Donation (Paypal button near the bottom of the page)

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RSS Feed: Feed
Facebook Page Coma Period

Ratings

Style 3.5

For such a clever premise, it’s too short. Once you get past the intro and the outro you have maybe 2 minutes of actual show. The sad part is that during those two minutes a lot of really interesting stuff is happening that makes you long for an extra minute or two even more. (Pacing 2.5)

It’s still pretty early in the show but I’d like to see a bit more plot progression. Right now it’s very much sketch-based, with every episode completely disconnected from the last. That being said, this show is wonderfully weird and could be fantastic if the writers give us a little more reason to feel for the main character. (Storytelling 3)

Fantastic use of green screen and a lot of fun effects make this a really well put together series. (Polish 4.5)

Watchability 3.5

Novelty 4.5

Overall Rating: 3.58 out of 5 stars

ARK is a visually breath-taking look at life, disease and society. When I say breath-taking I mean that in every possible way, the detail and depth of the animation can almost make you miss the strength of the storytelling.

That’s what really strikes me though, the storytelling. Without a word of dialogue director Grzegorz Jonkajtys drags you into this world of desperation, disease and madness. Even though there is almost no action until the final act, you can feel the tension as the protagonist circles around his final decision.

In the world of web animations this is a masterpiece. In fact, any world where this would not be considered a masterpiece leaves much to be desired.

Creator’s Description

An unknown virus has destroyed almost the entire human population.

Oblivious to the true nature of the disease, the only remaining survivors escape to the sea. In great ships, they set off in search of uninhabited land. So begins the exodus, led by one man…

Details

Creator: Grzegorz Jonkajtys
Openfilm Channel: ARK
Website: Grzegorz Jonkajtys

Ratings

Remember when I said it was breath-taking? Yea. (Style 5)

Pacing 3.5

This is a cast study in strong visual storytelling. (Storytelling 5)

Polish 5

It’s very, very dark and it only gets darker as it enters the third act. If you are looking for hope and redemption, this is probably not your film. (Watchability 4)

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 4.41 out of 5 stars

Hotels have a rich history in the horror genre. By now you would think that people with seedy pasts would know not to hang out in them. Either way, Do Not Disturb tells the story of a serial killer who has decided to take up residence inside of a hotel to hide away from law enforcement who apparently has something against senseless murder.

It’s dark and moody, with a story the quickly takes a turn for the weird about midway through. In all it’s very entertaining film that looks really polished. While it is a little on the long side for a web video, you still almost wish that the director had more time to explore some of the film’s questions. I wanted to know more about the copycat killer and I wanted more time understand the protagonist – even though we spend just about the entire film right next to him, by the end we are still left without strong characterization.

These minor problems aside this is as good an entry into the web based horror genre as you could ask for, and it makes me hope that director Patrick Rea continues to turn out movies of this caliber.

Creator’s Description

A creepy tale about a mysterious man staying in a hotel, who is visited by a unseen entity.

Starring: Allen Loman as Philip

Details

Creator: Michael Stine
Vimeo Channel: Do Not Disturb
Website: Michael Stine

Ratings

The cards are a little on the cheesy side (Style 3.5)

Pacing 4.5

While I always hope for more character development as a slice of life it works beautifully (Storytelling 4)

Polish 4

Watchability 4

Novelty 3

Overall Rating: 3.83 out of 5 stars

Experimental filmmaking always walks the fine line between being interesting and being unwatchable. Muzorama does a good job of skirting that line.

It was put together by Elsa Brehin, Raphaël Calamote, Mauro Carraro, Maxime Cazaux, Emilien Davaux, Laurent Monneron, and Axel Tillement in 3D Studio Max and it was inspired by French illustrator Muzo.

It’s weird, very weird. If you don’t go in expecting that you aren’t going to like it. There are people eating people, scenes cut within other scenes, cut between decapitated winking heads. There are melting faces and clones, giant women and dozens of other rich, creepy images. It’s all very surreal but unlike other animations of its class, it makes a certain amount of sense.

If you can get your head around the films logic it’s worth giving it a look, even if you can’t, at 3:12 it’s worth watching if only to tell all of your friends how strange it is.

Details

Creators: Elsa Brehin, Raphaël Calamote, Mauro Carraro, Maxime Cazaux, Emilien Davaux, Laurent Monneron, and Axel Tillement
Vimeo Channel: Muzorama
Created In: 3D Studio Max

Ratings

This film is stylish to a fault. (Style 4.5)

There is no clear story arc so it’s hard to really plot pacing. (Pacing 2.5)

Storytelling 2.5

For a project put together in 6 weeks it’s amazingly well done (Polish 3)

Watchability 2

It is, by definition, a very “art house” film and it uses many familiar tropes from the genre. (Novelty 3.5)

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars