For it’s run time of 10 minutes, MYSTERY BOX delivers a level of suspense that many full-budget, feature length films strive for.  The film is directed by Sonny Laguna, who you may recall as director of this year’s Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich and written by Laguna and David Liljeblad. Lisa Henni delivers a terrific performance as Moa, a woman alone, living in a cabin in remote Sweden.

One day, while pulling up her fishing nets, a… mysterious… box is hooked to one, covered in chains and locked.  She discards the box and returns to her cabin to cook her fish and eat, but the box appears again on the doorstep.  To reveal any more of the plot would be entering into spoiler territory, but let’s just say that this box doesn’t really take no for an answer. I think you can read a lot into the message of the movie if you so choose, or you can just enjoy it at the surface level equally as well.

The art direction and set design of the film are spectacular.  The exterior shots are breathtaking and isolating in a way you only get from those Scandinavian landscapes.  The interior of the cabin is immaculate and perfectly designed.  The editing and pacing are well done and provide a wave of suspense that carries you through the entire film.  As much as I want to avoid the obvious pun, I have to say it:  Big things come in small packages. (Sorry)