Forced to work from home, a young man grows paranoid by a tap that keeps on turning on when he turns away from it. Fearing there might be ominous forces messing with his house, the young man ventures out of his apartment to investigate noises coming from outside. “Work From Home” was part of the Kuman Pictures challenge, which asked independent filmmakers to make a minimalist short horror film in conjunction with the ‘Restricted Movement Order'.
“Work From Home” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
A simple set up and execution, “Work from Home” is a six minute film aiming to capture the horror of confinement and paranoia which can come from being stuck in one place – even in the comfort of our own home. In this case, fear seeps in through a tap that only runs when the homebound man steps away from it. Eventually the source is revealed, sort of, but that is best left for the viewers to experience themselves.
The execution of the short compliments the general sense of unease many have felt while in lockdown, as fear of events out of our control begin to shape our life and manifest a weariness in peculiar ways. In this case, the idea of an outside source messing with the water flow in the young man's place not only creates confusion but attacks a reliable necessity (the access to water). Essentially, the short works best in attacking known comforts with a greater unknown – reflective of a global pandemic.
Technically, the film is competently executed, with director Walid Ali having access to good camera equipment while stuck in lockdown (horrible quality is more common than not in these restricted films). The sound design is crisp and the short does have a cinematic sense despite the confines of the space. Ali, who also stars in the film, just kind of exists in this role but the paranoia he projects is serviceable to the story.
Overall, “Work From Home” is a simple yet effective horror story that shows Walid Ali subtly explore the sense of paranoia that has plagued many stuck at home. Thankfully, the short film is available to public as part of the Kuman Pictures Challenge – meaning you can watch the full short film below.
