Take a pinch of Lars von Trier's "Epidemic". Spice it with no-holds-barred action sequences and graphic visuals straight out of Japanese anime. Stir in a generous helping of the institutional paranoia which fuelled classics like "The Parallax View".
Now you've got some idea where Pack of Pain is coming from.
This is a short film which succeeds because it has large echoes and suggests much greater concerns. You may come away from it scratching your head, wondering just how all these threads fit together - well, who said every mystery should be easily resolved? The best conspiracy theories stay out there in the darkness, growing bigger and bigger until they've absorbed your entire reality - and everyone else's, too.
Pawel Regdosz clearly understands this and, on the current showing, there's a big talent here which is clamouring to make its mark on a much larger canvas.
