On Halloween Eve, Brandeis Film Collective launched its first short film of the year, a production titled “Too Close to Be Home.” The film featured two up-and-coming first-year actors, Keturah Walker and Jordyn Seri, both of whom made it to the first showing and described their first experience acting. There was an aura of excitement for all those involved in the making of the production; some contributors had worked until the very last moment to make the film as close to perfect as physically possible.
Played in none other than Castle Commons, the short production follows the lives of two college students on the Brandeis campus. “Too Close to Home” has a Halloween twist because one of the girls on campus, Nichole, receives very eerie, alarming text messages from someone that she does not know. The person messaging her says that she “looked good in red” and also mentions her name over the course of many text messages. As the film progresses, it becomes apparent that the so-called texter was in fact following Nichole. This realization was compounded when Nichole found her room unlocked and discovered photographs tucked into her desk. The images were taken of her from afar while she went about her daily life. As the camera closed in on the images—Nichole jogging and walking around campus—it was terrifying to her to think that she was being stalked. Jordyn Seri’s performance of Nichole, at times piercing and easy to connect to, helped to drive home the sensation of true fear in a situation where she had absolutely no control.
As the storyline unfolds, Nichole finds it more and more difficult to suppress her heart-racing terror and anxiety. She makes an attempt to reach the campus police, but like any character from a horror movie, decides that this was an unnecessary move. After all, if you thought that someone was stalking you and posed a threat to your well-being, why on earth would you go to the police to get help? It just makes too much sense, and really takes the fun out of horror movies.
A good combination of suspenseful music and sharp cinematography unveiled the end-of-the-show kicker (but we won’t spoil it for you). The Film Collective was ultimately very successful in piecing all parts of the short film together; the end result was both a fun and festive film.
The Brandeis Film Collective looks for new members and actors with all levels of experience. Their next big production might be Easter themed, though they are looking to the Brandeis community for ideas.
