Writer/director Artem Golub's 7-minute short film Echoes is a thought-provoking, atmospheric work that weaves its way through one man's artistic process and the degrees to which that process can lead to madness and maybe even more.

With lensing courtesy of Golub and Sergey Orpheum, Echoes excels in using music and imagery to create mood. Running at a mere seven minutes, Golub's film travels through a wide array of thought and emotion in a short span of time. The film moves from dull grays, black-and-whites, and shadows, a period lacking inspiration for the artist, to a vibrance of color and spirit and anticipation as the artist finds inspiration and prepares for what is obviously an exhibition. In the film's closing scenes, however, Golub transforms our artist once again into a sort of splattery kaleidoscope of guttural emotion and experience that seems to be the result of all that has come before it.

But what has come before it?

The beauty of Golub's work is that he doesn't so much define the journey for us as allow us to experience the journey. Echoes is the kind of film that you'll find yourself wanting to turn around and watch all over again so you can try to figure out what you missed.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic