STARRING
Cassie Stires, Steven Soro, Maz Siam WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY
Ian Ebright RUNNING TIME
14 Mins. OFFICIAL IMDB
Movie Review: Pinwheel Horizon
I had every intention in the world to land the review for Ian Ebright's latest short film Pinwheel Horizon in the days before its world premiere earlier this week at the Omaha Film Festival. Alas, life has this obnoxious way of getting in the way and here I am as the fest is winding down finally sitting down to offer a few words about this ambitious effort with a strong ensemble.
The 14-minute Pinwheel Horizon centers around three warriors preparing themselves for a final battle against the evil gang of 40 in their dystopian and desolate world. The three warriors - Cyra (Cassie Stires), Aru (Steven Soro), and Kuur (Maz Siam) - face their challenges including a suspicious camp discovered to be housing a family left homeless by the brutal conflict and an even more mysterious figure known as the Notary Ambassador (Lowell Deo).
It can be a recipe for disaster for a low-budget filmmaker to attempt such an ambitious film project. However, Ebright wisely tells a story that makes sense within this framework and keeps the vast majority of Pinwheel Horizon a character-driven film that benefits greatly from its compelling narrative.
The film's ensemble is strong throughout, Maz Siam a particularly standout as Kuur and yet the entire ensemble works well together in bringing life to this meaningful adventure that nicely uses its silence and beautifully weaves into its tapestry a sublime score by Billow Observatory. Haley Watson's lensing for the film is effective throughout the film's running time and Pinwheel Horizon both looks and sounds far better than you might expect from an ambitious low-budget indie.
The Omaha Film Festival seems an ideal spot for the film's world premiere and I'd imagine that Pinwheel Horizon won't have any problem maintaining a busy indie/microcinema film festival circuit. I've had more than my share of ambitious projects cross my desk and it's refreshing that Ebright both stretches himself and works within obvious limits with wisdom and insight.
Having had its world premiere yesterday at Omaha, Pinwheel Horizon now heads out on its festival journey and is definitely worth checking out if it arrives at a festival near you!
