Film a Week Project - Film 6: "Shortwave"

Shortwave is a thrilling film directed by Ryan Gregory Phillips. On the surface, it is a film about a grieving mother named Isabel and her shattered mental health following the events that caused her to lose her daughter.

After dopping her daughter off at an event, Isabel goes to the toilet. When she returns, everyone involved in the event is vanished. There's no trace that they even existed.

We transition to a future period through stunning cinematography, learning more about Isabel's husband. They're broken individuals throughout the film, suffering from the loss of their daughter.

This sounds pretty cut and dry, but what puts this film on the highest of pedestals is the fact that it is at once thrilling, terrifying, and unnevering. Isabel is a haunting character, played by Juanita Ringeling. Ringeling does a flawless job as Isabel - a combination of a hollow, almost catatonic character who is contrasted by outbursts of anguish.

This is a complicated film filled with so many different undertones. The terrifying sequences of what occurs in Isabel's mind are riveting and made me feel genuinely uncomfortable, quite clearly part of the vision. This comes together through a combination of colour theory, glitch-y editing techniques, and an incredible arranged sound track.

The science fiction part of this film comes through when Isabel's husband and coworker discover that Shortwave radio patterns may somehow be influencing people's thoughts. This is the scientific hook of the film, and this comes to a thrilling, unnerving climax in the last segment of the film.

Shortwave is an incredible film, but it definitely isn't something you should watch in the dark alone. This is a film to be shared, and an excellent study in how to make a good film.

It's amazing, and something people should make an effort to track down not just if you like thriller and science fiction, but also if you just like well constructed cinema. Terrifyingly good.