This amusing short written and directed by Mary Ratliff follows two girls (Katie Foster and Maya Jackson) who attempt a little petty thievery and get more than they bargained for in the process.

The film premiered at the 2011 Waynesboro Short Film Festival and is now available for online viewing through Vimeo and, well, immediately above this fine review. Ratliff considers herself a storyteller at heart, and with Extraction she tells a quick and entertaining story that leaves you entertained enough that you wouldn't mind spending more time with these young ladies and their misadventures.

Extraction is beautifully shot by Ken Ikeda, an absolute necessity given that the film is, in fact, a silent film or at least a film devoid of dialogue. Both Foster and Jackson are able to bring their characters enough to life to keep them interesting despite the lack of dialogue, and the film features a sparkling original score that keeps everything moving along quite nicely.

Ratliff was a finalist in 2010's DC Shorts Screenwriting Competition and the recipient of the Will Interactive Dramatic Short Screenplay Award for another of her shorts, Catching Up. She earned her MFA in Film and Electronic Media from American University and is currently working on a feature-length documentary centered around the gaming community called Good Game.

For more information on Extraction, visit the film's webpage listed in the credits on this page.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic