Nicholas Pilk has continued to impress me with his productivity, and willingness to push through the pandemic with various shorts, web-series and feature length films. This Summer he flavored our YouTube screens with two versions of the same film. "Festival of Blood" is available to be seen in both black & white and color. Two distinct viewing experiences, since for my taste the colorless version enhanced the mood and subject matter of the story. With a brisk cold-open featuring another excellent long-take where Pilk himself chews up the scenery - you are instantly in for a movie where the director plays by his own rules. I was intrigued by his unique choices and personal touches to the presentation. Some trademarks are evident like the parking lots, the wide-shots (which I really appreciate), and the violence which often happens right out of frame.
There's an air of early 90's Tarantino mixed with a bold Kevin Smith to this 29 minute short. Foul-mouthed detective characters are searching for a murderer and perhaps it can be one among them? I loved the mix of traditional looking uniforms all the way to Hawaiian shirts. Every character stood out to me. Because there's attention put into minor quirks and details to their behavior and language. It was also pretty surprising at times with the script taking some sudden turns and shifts. Definitely kept me guessing as to how this was gonna end. Sometimes you wanna watch a movie which you can contemplate on by letting it unwind in your mind - and all of a sudden you find your own meaning to what the story is telling you. That's the type of feeling I got by this one. One of the strongest works from Pilk Films and I am excited to see these guys continue to evolve and follow their ambition.
