Writer/director Dave Harlequin's eight-minute short Bobby Came Home is a fine example of the talent that can be found along the indie and microcinema fest scene. The film, existing somewhere within the genres of thriller and horror, centers around a woman named Julie (Arianna Tysinger) whose husband, Bobby (Blair Hoyle), up and disappears without a single clue as to where he might be until a few months later when he suddenly reappears without a single memory of where he's been. 

Bobby Came Home is an intriguing film with Harlequin playing things rather straightforward without overwhelming the narrative within the film's eight-minute running time. The film's foundation is rock solid. The film's small but mighty ensemble more than able to draw us in, keep us invested, and leave us wondering more than a little bit. 

It's likely not a huge surprise that things aren't quite what they seem when Bobby returns, though Harlequin doesn't serve up any easy answers and leaves our own anxieties, wariness, and slight paranoia left alone to figure it all out. 

Bobby Came Home has enjoyed a lengthy run on the microcinema fest circuit picking up over a dozen awards along the way at such fests as Spring Lane Film Festival, North Carolina Film Festival, Erie International Film Festival and several others. 

Tysinger and Hoyle are compelling as a couple of sorts, Hoyle's return uneasy at best and Tysinger's sense of relief increasingly coming into question. 

Tysinger likely plays the widest range here, however, I also found myself captivated by Hoyle's layered, subtle nuances as a man both questionable and questioning. 

D.P. Jesse H. Knight avoids cinematic histrionics in favor of lighter visual cues and shadows of suggestion. Neil Lee Griffin's original score also plays quietly with our ever-increasing anxiety and uncertainty. 

Bobby Came Home won't be for everyone. It's horror touches are light and more psychological in nature, though that psychological tension grounded within everyday domesticity is likely grab hold of those willing to surrender to it. If you get a chance to check it out, I suggest you do.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic