After catching writer/director Gideon Blackman's latest short film It's No Game, I've gotten the chance to check out his film from last year, Until Death Do Us Part.

I'm starting to think that Blackman is a morbid guy with a sense of humor.

It's always a blast to be able to check out several films from a filmmaker, because it gives you a chance to figure out the ways in which they're growing and the ways in which they still need to grow. It's No Game and Until Death Do Us Part are actually similar in theme and tone, but it's clear from watching this earlier film that Blackman is learning along the way and growing as a filmmaker with a much more disciplined grasp of production this last time around.

Until Death Do Us Part is a decent enough film, with a sort of dryly humorous performance from Omer Warman as George, a bit of a slob who gets summoned by the ghost of a young female named Haley (Chloe Warren) to figure out the story behind her death. In so tackling this task, unexpected circumstances are the result.

Having watched both films, it would appear that much of both films were shot in the same location. While this is certainly understandable and quite common, it was admittedly a tad distracting given the set-up taken with certain scenes. That said, I found myself enjoying the interplay between the naturally funny Warman and the rather quirky Chloe Warren.

Until Death Do Us Part feels very similar to Blackman's latest film, but some of the pacing and modest tech issues evident in this film are greatly reduced in It's No Game.

In fact, the real strength of this film lies in the cohesiveness of its cast and their obvious chemistry that continued to grow in Blackman's latest film. While it doesn't always work to work more than once with a cast and crew, for up-and-coming filmmakers it can be a way of surrounding oneself with an equally up-and-coming cast and crew.

Flawed yet still fun to watch, Until Death Do Us Part is a solid indie effort and foundation for the U.K. based Blackman.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic