Beholden is the kind of short film that gives a lot of feature films a bad name, and most other short films a black eye or two. You know you're about to watch something special when the festival technical director personally insists on making sure the film is projected in the right aspect ratio and delays the rest of the programme in the process.
We have an excellent story that is incredibly well acted, production values like you wouldn't believe possible for a student film ... hell, it makes most of the other short films I saw at the 2008 Burbank Film Festival look poor.
What impressed me most after the film itself was the story of how it was made. That's something i'll leave for the director and producer to tell in their own words. A lot of filmmakers liken the production process to a battle ... theirs truly was!
There isn't a shot out of place. No wasted moments and the lead bad guy is exemplary.
In short, highly recommended!
