Short film review: Beneath Water

Beneath Water

Written and directed by Charlie Manton, Beneath Water is a gripping short story that packs plenty of emotion into it’s 15 minute running time.

Focusing on the character of Daisy (played by Louisa Connolly-Burnham), a 16 year old girl in Missouri, Beneath Water sees Daisy attempting to get through to her withdrawn mother (Miranda Wilson) on the first anniversary of a traumatic life changing event.

Both Louisa Connolly-Burnham and Miranda Wilson give solid and at times heart wrenching performances, that convincingly portray the strained dynamic between the mother and daughter..

Produced on a budget of just £1000, what Charlie Manton and his crew have done here is really impressive.

The cinematography is second to none, featuring a mixture of steady shots mixed up with some handheld camera work, with everything framed perfectly. All of this is complimented with some very ominous and atmospheric lighting. There’s also some stunning editing work on display here.

Beneath Water also features a stunning soundtrack, that ranges from some beautiful classical piano work to some daunting, screeching violins.

All in all, Beneath Water is a real treat. In actual fact, it’s quite hard to find any faults with it.

At 15 minutes in length, it’s obviously rather short and to the point – but yet it packs in enough emotion and intrigue with it’s limited running time, that the short tale and it’s characters linger long in the mind afterwards.

For more information about Beneath Water, visit the official site of Duelling Productions.