FUTURE HARVEST

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to say thank you to local Writer/Director, Carolyn Corkindale for allowing me early access to an online screener of her latest 5-minute Horror/Thriller short, “Future Harvest”. Future Harvest picks up at a cottage on a beautiful sunny day where an unidentified woman (played by Chrissie Page of “100 Bloody Acres”) is seemingly enjoying some afternoon tea. It’s not long before she’s instinctively up and at ’em, doing some pruning in her orchard where the harsh realities of her “World’s End Farm” come to light.

The second Future Harvest began rolling to the eerie sounds of female humming and Adam Ritchie’s ambient score, I was hooked. Experienced DP, Maxx Corkindale (who also served as the film’s editor) achieves wonderful production value with his impeccable cinematography. Shots peering through spring growth are superbly framed, all the macros at the start are sharp, and I particularly like some of the gentle zoomings and pulling back. The mature Chrissie Page has been working in Australian television and film for years and she tackles this role with plenty of mischevious delight. The practical fx displayed look realistic and appropriately detailed. If I’m being a bit nitpicky, my only issue is that I don’t think the flash cues along the way were really necessary. It may have been more effective to just let the viewer match the corresponding visual instead.

Future Harvest happens to be the first of Corkindale’s four short films that I’ve seen thus far, and I was thoroughly impressed by the standard of work. The technical aspects are pristine, the story is engaging, and Page’s character’s arc is an entertaining and surprising one. As far as the micro-short film goes (under 5 minutes), I don’t think I’ve seen a better one come out of South Australia. Future Harvest will have its Australian premiere on the 1st of November as part of this years Monsterfest program. Be sure to head along to the festival and check it out!

Future Harvest – 9/10