Even though the summer ended some time ago, we still get that summer-ish vibe from the movies we receive in our festival. Today we traveled to a sunny beach where beautiful girls went surfing, and where we found a story that really made us think. ‘Undertow’ is a short movie made by director Peter Spann that tells the story of a young girl fighting with her inner demons (actually inner demon, if you want us to be more precise), after a difficult time in her life. Her struggle involves not only the people around her, but also someone that is not around anymore. We will stop here with the plot, in order not to spoil the whole story.

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What we enjoyed the most in this movie was the cinematography - there are several shots, most of them including a blue and white van that are really mesmerizing! If someone took a screenshot of each of those amazing shots, they could easily transform them in some stunning postcards or wallpapers. Moreover, 'Undertow' has that teen movie vibe with the golden beaches and the relaxed mood some audiences may relate to. But most important in creating this vibe is the soundtrack, composed in majority by indie songs, with heavy tambourine usage and aerial shots of the actors in different situations.

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However, what wasn’t convincing enough for us in ‘Undertow’ was the fear of taking a path and going on it through the end. Yes, the movie has a coherent storyline, but here we find some themes interposed that could give this movie certain hues, making it really stand out. For us it was more like an episode from a famous series, re-done after some time the series ended. It was good, pleasing all of our cinematic needs, but it felt like there were some things that remained unsaid.

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Written by Vlad A. G