Next up on my list of films I have reviews for the Final Girls Berlin Film Festival is WHAT REMAINS, directed and written by Denna Sritharan.
Losing people we love is never easy. While most of us try to hold onto our memories as long as we can, others take it to the next level and never want them leaving our side. All this and more happens in WHAT REMAINS.
The short has a run time of a little over 6 minutes and stars Brittany Mcclintock, Carol Damgen, Farrell Huntley, and David Veal. It revolves around a heartbroken family as they try to cope with the death of their father and their mother’s need to keep his corpse around. Yep, that’s right…his corpse. Although she knows he’s dead, the mother continues to do daily activities with him and insists the girls do it as well.
WHAT REMAINS is an intelligent horror short that digs deep into the real horror most of us will face at one time or another. We all have or will lose someone we love and sometimes when that happens the thought of not being around them can be maddening. It’s not the first time we’ve heard about someone keeping the corpse of a loved one around too long, but this time the audience gets to witness a different perspective on it. What would it do to the family and how they would cope when one family members loss was too painful to bear?
The story is character driven all the way. You can see and feel the pain of each character as they try to carry on a normal life that is anything but ordinary. Carol Damgen’s performance as the mother stood out and left a lasting impression.
I also loved how they never showed the father’s face. You see the outline of his body, but never anything more. It leaves an unnerving feeling in your stomach, but also leaves a bit of mystery to how long he’s been that way.
Overall, WHAT REMAINS isn’t like any other short I’ve watched. I somehow expected a zombie story, but this was far more disturbing and heart-wrenching. You not only feel for the characters, but put yourself in their position. What would you do if this was your mother? Would you play by her rules? It’s definitely one that I think will receive a lot of love at the festival. So Check it out!
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