THE AFTER PARTY

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to start by thanking Ela Road Films and Writer/Director, Colin Costello for allowing me early access to an online screener of his 17-minute Horror/Mystery short, “The After Party”. The After Party introduces us to Skye, a social media mogul (played by Rachel Amanda Bryant) who’s living it up during just another night out on the town. Before heading home she stops for one last drink, it’s there where she encounters four mysterious women each with a story to tell. The film also stars Hilary Barraford (The Ice Cream Truck), Ashley Platz (Big Legend), Denise Milfort (Repentance), and Veronica Sixtos.

I’ve had Costello’s short sitting in my pile for around a month and finally found the time to give it my undivided attention. The obvious thing of note about The After Party’s presentation has to be Brook Willard’s glorious black and white photography. We simply don’t see enough of it these days, as luck would have it the film’s neo-noir aesthetics just happen to lend themselves perfectly to the form. Everything is nicely framed and the shot choices are simple but effective. The audio track is quite crisp and the mix of eerie sounding strings helps complement the mystery behind the night’s events. The guitar-centric score in the latter half has hints of David Lynch’s cult classic TV show “Twin Peaks” about it, especially with its additional use of ambient reverb. The acting from all involved is of a high standard and the ladies each have their own traits. Costello’s conversation (or more accurately his characters) seems to center around the need for us to be accepted and or adored and the dangers that can be associated with worshipping false idols – something that is certainly an issue in society. Social media can be extremely damaging if you gear your self-worth around your number of likes, followers, shares, and re-tweets. Make what you want of the signs on display in The After Party, broken glass and fading light are just a couple of indicators that should get you invested. My only real criticism is the sudden shift in Skye once she arrives. It’s a little contradictory because she claims not to know who the girls are but then suddenly she’s able to recall where she met them or the details of the interactions she had with them. I suppose one could chalk it up to just her self-obsessed persona and perhaps she truly didn’t realize until she actually stopped to reflect. I’d like to have seen certain pieces of information trigger her a little more, particularly just before she leaves the bar. There’s not a lot of charged emotion regarding her questioning what was really going on.

The After Party is a thoroughly entertaining and polished short film from a promising filmmaker in Costello. The cinematography is impressive, the score has fitting spectral tones, and the performances are all great. I think the writing is as smart as I’ve seen in quite a while and there’s a positive message about surface value versus the important things in life. I think a couple of Skye’s specifics could’ve been altered and perhaps improved upon, but it’s nothing that really takes away from the overall quality of the product. If you get the chance to check this one out I suggest you do! For now, you can watch the teaser trailer below, enjoy!

My rating for “The After Party” is 8/10