An Australian horror/thriller short film shot in and around the Victorian city of Geelong, Grounded is an impressive independent offering from the mind of actress and writer Josephine Croft in partnership with director Jesse Richards.
Taking place in a setting that will seem foreign to many of us around the world in today's climate, Grounded's seven minute runtime takes place almost entirely within the confines of a plane that has been left on the runway with Croft's unfortunate Anne stuck on board all alone....or is she?
Wasting little of its precious screen time time on build-up or set-up, Richards and Croft get stuck straight into Grounded's neat premise as we and Anne are thrust into an horrific situation made all the worse by the fact that Anne begins to suspect that her hellish winged prison may not be a pleasant place to drink a bottle of juice in.
There's not a lot of depth or metaphorical meaning to what transpires in Grounded but there's an abundance of aspects to enjoy here, from Croft's solid turn as the frustrated and scared Anne, Richard's impressively produced directing and Sean Tinnion's memorable score, Grounded may be born from the DIY handbook but its a stylish and well-put together short that deserves its place amongst various festival's and competitions around the world.
Always a joy to support local Australian offerings and to get around up and coming talent, Grounded is well worth keeping a close eye on as one suspects that this is the beginning of a collection of intriguing careers from this capable group of Australian makers and shakers.
Final Say -
A moody and well designed short genre offering, Grounded takes to the skies of low-budget filmmaking in a memorable way.
3 1/2 emergency escape doors out of 5.
