Fred (2019)

f r e d is a new short film written and directed by Alexander Jeremy. We meet Lily, a young woman who has recently lost her fiancé, during an intimate and painful stage of her grief. During the process of negotiating her grief, which we assume to be sudden and unexpected, a darker story of unrequited love and stalking unfolds. The plot answers just enough and equally leaves just enough open-ended: the film is made both sweeter and darker by the conclusions drawn by off-screen events.

A stand-out quality of the film is the experimental and delicate play with sound. The film’s plot explores a number of different genres and emotions, and the storyline is totally brought to life by the inspired application of music and noise effect. A perfect application of silence brings us into suspense, poignant soundtrack choices pull us to feel grief, and vintage reference points bring an artistic and classical point of view to the production.

f r e d pulls together two opposing narrative views, both Lily and Fred – the darker, mysterious figure. Yet the clearest point of view is ours, through some voyeuristic camera angles and glimpses of a fourth wall connection (most noticeably with Fred in the café scene). We, as a viewer, are simultaneously placed in fear of the unknown and in the place of the predator, both invading privacy and being invaded ourselves.

I must also mention that f r e d’s cast is brilliant. The film relies on only a few actors, so it would be noticeable if they were subpar. However, they are all individually and cumulatively fantastic. In a screenplay with little dialogue, the actor’s part is even more crucial, and this one does not disappoint.

The film is beautifully shot, cast and filmed. Both a touching portrayal of grief and a suspenseful thriller, f r e d packs a huge emotional punch into a short, sweet bundle. Enjoyable to watch and impactful to remember, it’s a wonderful piece of film-making.