A man gets a call from a stranger and finds himself in a strange set of circumstances where he’s not able to differentiate between reality and illusion.
There was a lot to like with this short. The foremost aspect is Shetty’s screenplay, where he crafts an intriguing and engaging premise. From the titular phone calls to the discovery of the mirror and finally having the character waking up in the middle of the forest, there’s a great setup to what gets revealed in the second half. As the partner drops bombshell revelations about a past incident that changes the tone of the storyline, the movie up in intensity remarkably with the chills it unveils.
This is certainly an effort that needed more time or even a sequel, since the ending leaves us with several nagging questions. Shetty’s screenplay is the major culprit where he commits a major cinematic error in having characters raise these questions organically in the running time. However, they are answered by other characters, dismissing the inquiry outright or putting the asker down for being naturally and genuinely inquisitive. This is an infuriating tactic that undoes some of the goodwill created by the overall premise and standout technical work on display.
Bolstered by an impressive idea and no real issues with the performances, Shetty has crafted a chilling overall short that’s incredibly enjoyable. He does stumble slightly with his writing but give this a sequel to expand or explain this setup and it becomes less of an issue.
