You Choose! Movie Review!
“Where the fuck am?” asks a fearful voice as You Choose! opens to pitch black. Immediately following, shop lights are awakened, and we see our subject, a teenage drug addict called Danny (Kane Edward Dunn), who is tied to a chair. A brute dressed in a shirt and tie ala Reservoir Dogs, enters from behind the teen. His sleeves are rolled up and he’s ready for business. The first order of business? A punch in the lips. Blood splats garage metal with a ping.
Our victim, looks to be maybe 15-years-old. He grimaces in pain from the blow. Our brute, circles the boy. “The Chinese got it wrong.” he proclaims, whilst walking behind our victim, gun tucked into his belt. “Please K, you broke my nose.” pleads Danny. Rummaging through a duffle bag, the brute now known as K (Jay Creepy), returns with a grin and a hunting knife. “Steady stream, not a drip.” he states to Danny’s ear, than stabs a paint can from above his head causing liquid to pour upon him.
Next K puts glasses on Danny, and asks him to “Choose.” Resting on the table is a variety of instruments to choose from – a gun, the hunting knife (now stabbed into the table), metal pipes, a screw driver, and other apparatus.
After K takes a phone call (from presumably his employer), Danny pleads with him, “But it was Kara, I didn’t do anything.” “Choose.” replies K. Danny eyes the gun on the table. How will our hero get out of this blunder? Will he endure, or will he meet his demise?
You Choose! is a UK student film for Hull College of Further Education and stars Severed Cinema’s very own Jay Creepy as K, hot off his role as a demented clown in Italian maestro, Domiziano Cristopharo’s House of Flesh Mannequins, out soon from TetroVideo (see review of House of Flesh Mannequins here). It also stars his son, Kane Edward Dunn who plays Danny in his first ever film role. Apparently, the person cast for the role bailed last minute so Kane stepped in, and did a great job as playing a teenager literally being tortured by his own father! Whilst watching his performance, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a young Harmony Korine. I’m not sure what the future in filmmaking holds for the lad, but he held his own alongside his hulking father.
Shot entirely in black and white, You Choose! keeps you guessing until the satisfying conclusion which this writer did not see coming. Kudos for also go to the use of close-ups and the overall cinematography from director Tyler Buckingham and Scott Paxton. The style and use of black and white really added to the edgy atmosphere.
It comes highly recommended that Severed Cinema readers check out this 7-minute short film, which is available for free to watch on YouTube. You Choose! can be found here: https://youtu.be/EqA1vGN08fA.
Watch You Choose! on Youtube:
Directed by: Tyler Buckingham |Written by: Paul Butler, Jay Creepy | Produced by: Tyler Buckingham, Adam Mayes | Cinematography by: Tyler Buckingham, Scott Paxton | Editing by: Lucy White |
Special Effects by: Tyler Buckingham | Music by: Matt Brown | Cast: Jay Creepy, Kane Edward Dunn | Year: 2019 | Country: UK |
Language: English | Color: Black and White | Runtime: 7min
