Writer/director Michael Panduro's 15-minute short film The Sunken Convent (org. Det Sjunkne Kloster) is a beautifully photographed and thought-provoking short film loosely based upon the writings of Hans Christian Anderson. The Danish short film centers around a man who wakes up, goes to work, eats in, does a bit of home surgery and drives to the woods. 

Simple enough, eh? 

Indeed. 

The film has proven to be wildly successful on the indie festival circuit with 30+ screenings so far and some good old-fashioned critical acclaim to go along with those screenings including being shortlisted for a Robert, the Danish Academy Award, for Best Short Film. The man, played with emotional precision by Claus Flygare, makes for a grotesque yet compelling figure whose actions are simultaneously difficult to watch and impossible not to watch. The Sunken Convent has deservedly picked up a couple of prizes for Snorre Ruhe's awesome lensing while Zofia Madej's production design tells the story in a film where the story is, indeed, told without words. 

Perhaps a wee bit more intentional in its graphic nature than it really needs to be, The Sunken Convent is nonetheless an involving and effective short film with Flygare's performance somehow both intimate yet detached. 

Running at a just about nearly perfect time of 15 minutes, The Sunken Convent is a difficult film to describe without giving more away than one should. Indeed, I won't. However, rest assured that fans of indie horror will likely find much to enjoy here in a wholly unique and quietly horrifying way. 

For more information on The Sunken Convent, visit the film's Facebook page and watch for it on the festival circuit. 

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic