Reviews Shorts Reviews Submit Your Film

Short Film Review: Stranger Danger (2019) By Argie Seth

Two strangers in Lago and Miranda, meet one day on a bench in the park. However, as they begin to talk, the two seem oddly familiar with each other. Miranda later confronts Lago at work, where the two talk about their past tragedies that tied their fates together.

” acts as the ideal short film experience in multiple facets. Firstly, the script is concise and all the dialogue levity to the character's plight. Although the dialogue is rather simple, the conclusion at the end of the production on how the two are tied together is well thought out. The build to the ending is handled well and the chance encounter at the start and end of the production compliments the idea of the two protagonists having a vague memory of each other, while still explaining the hate and regret that festered from their chance encounter. Also the film's title ties into the conclusion in a rather humorous way that allowed for a sharp punctuated cut into the credits.

The production is well shot, making good use of location work, and different angles. Each scene transitions well into the other, giving the film a nice flow from the beginning to end. However, it is not always ideal, as there are a few indoor scenes that frame the actors in not a great space. These scenes take place within an apartment, and can be chalked up to having limited use of space, as the sound design also takes a dip in these scenes. Overall, the visuals are complimentary and just fall short of being flawless because of two particular moments

The score for “Stranger Danger” deserves a special mention. The music is well chosen, but also does a great work of transitioning into different scenes. There is one point in particular that a song kind of dies out and becomes distorted as the scene transitions into the characters' past memories, that sounds a bit otherworldly. There is also a nice cut from a more upbeat song into a gunshot and a drum driven instrumental piece that adds a lot of style to the production. “Stranger Danger” is one of the better scored short films I have had the pleasure of seeing. Overall, the audio presentation is pretty solid with only a few noticeable dips in quality.

The performances are well handled, with both of the main characters embodying their roles, and conveying their distress well, with Miranda acting a strong vengeful force, and Lago a laid back but troubled individual. It was a pleasure to see the two actors interact and have their two personalities clash. The supporting cast is a bit more forgettable, but this in part ties into the film's only visual limitations of being in close quarters and somewhat awkwardly framed. They are also not really fully realized characters and act as a back story to the main characters. Although, further depth added to the supporting cast would be unnecessary and they are serviceable to the plot.

“Stranger Danger” acts as a love letter to 70's mysteries that hits all the right notes. The production boasts phenomenal performances, great script work, strong visuals and a frenetic score. The narrative stands as a clear vision with a great flow that will keep viewers engrossed until the end. Director is a talent to watch out for, and I came away from the film excited to see what he will be able to do on further productions.

About the author

Adam Symchuk

Adam Symchuk is a Canadian born freelance writer and editor who has been writing for Asian Movie Pulse since 2018. He is currently focused on covering manga, manhwa and light novels having reviewed hundreds of titles in the past two years.

His love of film came from horror and exploitation films from Japan that he devoured in his teens. His love of comics came from falling in love with the works of Shuzo Oshimi, Junji Ito, Hideshi Hino, and Inio Asano but has expanded to a general love of the medium and all its genres.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

>