THE MOVIE ANARCHIST

The Timeslip is a short film about a man who takes one step off a curb in modern-day London to cross a street.  He ends up back in time and unconscious at the bottom of a steep slope in a thick forest.  As expected, he’s startled when he wakes up and sees nothing but trees.

The film begins with a wonderfully edited sequence of the places and people one might see on an uneventful commute to work.  This leads naturally to the man’s attempt to cross a street.  In the forest we initially see the confused look of a man who doesn’t know where he is or how he came to be there.  He does what seems to be the only thing he can do.  He walks, and walks, and walks, fighting the underbrush all the way.  During his seemingly endless trek through the forest we see the progression from his initial frustration at not having a signal for his cell phone, the exhaustion from walking, the cold of the night, heat of the sun, and ultimately to things much more dangerous.

The Chance brothers, Richard and Jonathan, who wrote, produced, and directed the film, pack quite a bit into 15 minutes.  Their narrative is suspenseful and well paced holding our interest from start to finish; however, it’s not just a good story, it’s a skillfully crafted film.  Every camera shot, camera angle, and edit, has meaning, and they’re pieced together in a way that adds to the overall feel of the film.

The Timeslip is an impressive piece of work.  I’m sure we’ll be seeing many more creative films from the Chance brothers.

For the latest screenings of The Timeslip check out chance-encounters.org