At first description, you'd be forgiven for thinking that perhaps you've stumbled across some experimental psychological thriller with Control, a just under five-minute short film written and directed by Aimie Willemse in which we watch a prisoner (Blythe Meechan) locked in a dance of mesmerizing mimicry fighting against her captor (Zoe Pringle), whose mysterious powers of possession leave her fighting for control. 

However, it only takes a few seconds to realize that Control is no paint-by-numbers psychological thriller or even possessing of a traditional narrative. Instead, Control is a remarkable gem of a film that weaves together narrative with balancing movementt in telling an intimate and transparent story of depression and its unfathomable grip on our entire being that dominates, savages, entraps and ultimately challenges one to either surrender to it or bravely explore new territories in breaking free. 

Control is a mesmerizing film to watch, a raw and gritty work of wonder that is also exhilarating and and filled to the brim with the sort of primal scream that one experiences when one struggles to get one's mind to escape the clutches of despair. Meechan and Pringle interact with one another beautifully, Meechan's entire body radiating an aching vulnerability and quietly seething rage that it often feels as if we're swaying to and fro along with her. As her captor, part predator and part natural force, Pringle avoids histrionics and cliche's in bringing to life the quiet domination and soul ravaging influence that depression can have on one's entire being. Pringle envelopes and taunts yet avoids ever becoming a caricature. 

Sefa Ucbas's lensing is perfectly suited to a film that is part narrative and part movement. The lensing captures the film's rhythm and moves fluidly along with the bodies that it follows. Scott Mungin's original score guides the film and practically tells a narrative unto itself aided by Elizabeth Brown's costume design and Bob Robertson's excellent sound design. 

For those unaccustomed to experimental cinema, Control may require some adjusting but, rest assured, it's worth the effort. For more information on the film, visit its website linked to in the credits to the left of this review. 

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic