Violet (Shiri Appleby, UnREAL and HBO's Girls) is approached by a strange man (Sean Bell, Bulletproof Monk) with an even stranger story. Reporting that he has been hired to kill her, by her husband (Gary Wolf, The Nice Guys), he offers to twist the proposition and for twice the price will reverse the hit.

Will she choose self-preservation at the cost of everything she knows?

Where will it all end?

This dark and thought-provoking crime drama is a twisted and compelling tale, beautifully acted by its ensemble cast with Appleby, in particular, capturing a sense of normalcy amidst the madness of it all that draws you in  and makes you feel for her situation. As the stranger, Sean Bell serves up a placid performance that leaves you constantly wondering where everything's going to go next, while Gary Wolf, despite being saddled with some awkward dialogue that doesn't quite convince, is strangely perverse and nearly impossible to turn away from throughout the film.

Jason Oldak's lensing companions the film without guiding it too much. There's a subtlety in the way that Oldak frames the shots that keeps you from getting too far ahead, while music from Amy Millan and Lucas Putnam also serves as a perfect companion to the film.

An Entanglement is already proving successful on the festival circuit including picking up a Silver Laurel at the L.A. Neo Noir Fest, being a daily pick for Film Shortage and a Saturday Selection for the AintitCool folks. The film is currently screening at the HollyShorts Film Festival, one of the top shorts fests globally.

For more information on An Entanglement, visit the film's Twitter page. If you get a chance, definitely check it out.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic