Logan (Sketkh Williams) is a 28-year-old man/child who lives in the home of his brother Victor (David Bly) while not so secretly pining away for a co-worker, Jean (Elizabeth Lee).

There's only one potential problem. Logan is obsessed with comic book superheroes, an obsession he's shared on more than one occasion with Jean. Jean, not wanting to crush his feelings, has feigned interest while distracting herself with, well, other things. Despite being cautioned by his longtime best friend Kat (Krista Amigone), Logan can't control himself and gets him all dressed up (as a superhero should!) and decides to finally ask Jean out on a date.

You get the feeling this isn't going to go well?

Written and directed by Michael Lamarra, Logan's Power is a slightly dark comedy with a nice thread of humanity throughout its sixteen-minute running time that keeps you watching and hoping that our superhero will find just the right superpower to make this all work out okay.

Lamarra paints the film with a vibrant color palette and edits it with a pace that is energetic without being exhausting. D.P. Aksel Stasny's camera work has fun with this quirky scenario but, rather gratefully, never makes fun of the characters involved.

Sketkh Williams plays Logan as a rather straight-forward Comic-Con style nerd, though he also seems to possess just the perfect touch of sweetness that makes you both wonder why he'd possibly be attracted to the obviously distracted affections of Jean and, as well, how this man/child avoids the more obviously suited Kat, played to absolute perfection by Krista Amigone. David Bly also does a nice job as Victor, Logan's more than a bit of an a**hole brother. Elizabeth Lee is solid, as well, as the object of Logan's affections.

While one can certainly tell on occasion that Logan's Power is a lower-budget short, Lamarra accomplishes quite a bit with very little. There were only a couple scenes, one transition scene in particular, that proved to be distracting due to obvious tech limitations.

Logan's Power also features quite the delightful soundtrack that adds a nice touch of energy to the proceedings, though at least on one occasion I found myself feeling like the energy of the tune didn't quite match the unfolding scene.

Minor tech quibbles aside, Logan's Power is that rare weaving together of a heartfelt yet darkly comical short film that manages to entertain, make you think a bit and make you feel a lot. With a stand-out performance by Krista Amigone and solid performances from the rest of the cast, Logan's Power is an entertaining debut effort from writer/director Michael Lamarra.


© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic