Bruce Von Stiers
A woman pounds on the outside of a car and finally is able to get inside of it. She seems to be in danger. But what if the danger inside the car is worse that what's outside?
That is the premise for the short horror thriller film 5.7 Seconds. The film is from Silent Thunder Films. The run time for the film is just under fifteen minutes.
The woman feels safe in the car. But only for a minute. It seems there is a guy in the backseat of the car. He startles her. He asks if she's okay and reaches out to her. She doesn't want him to touch her. He could be “one of them.” And she asks if the whole world has gone crazy.
She wants to get out of there but he doesn't know where the car keys are. Then there is a lot of dramatic back and forth between the two of them.
Added to the heightened drama is that there are people walking around on the outside of the car. Someone tries to peer in and there are others who are pounding on the outside of the car. Nobody can see inside the car as all the windows are covered in some kind of gunk.
An act of violence leads to a fatal act of violence. Then the film takes the viewer outside the car where certain realities are revealed.
When I first started watching the film, I was thinking that the “them” that woman was speaking about were blood thirsty marauders or zombies or something. But I was definitely surprised to learn what was actually happening. Are there real monsters among us?
The title refers to a comment the guy makes about how long it takes the car to go from zero to sixty miles per hour. He's replying to a comment she'd made earlier about not having keys to drive the car.
Shante DeLoach is the woman. She starred in the short films Triggered and Samsara and guested on episodes of The Rookie: Feds, The Conners, Legacies and Good Trouble.
Henry Hetz is the man in the car. He's been in films such as It's Not You, It's Me and the horror short film We're Not Safe Her.
Mikey Beatty is briefly shown in the film as a soccer coach. He's been seen in episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS and The Rookie: Feds.
Whitney Tai plays a character who's walking through a parking lot. She's accosted by a stalker. But she gets the better of him and he gets his just desserts in the end. Whitney is a musical artist whose brand of music has been called dream pop and alternate metal. She's been compared to Kate Bush and Annie Lennox.
Tim Aslin was one of the film's directors. He also co-produced the film and co-wrote the screenplay. His previous credits include the comedy short film 2 Timers and the comedy series Devil's Couriers. Shane Cibella was the other director, producer and screenwriter for the film. He also worked on 2 Timers and Devil's Couriers. Aslin has a small role in the film and Cibella also has a role in the film.
The cinematographer was Alex Simon. He was the cinematographer for 2 Timers and for films such the horror feature The Last Possession. Tim Janssens composed the music for the film. He has written music for such artists as Nelly Furtudo and composed music for broadcast news and feature films.
There were a couple of veteran crew members behind the scenes. Jason Abell was the sound mixer for the film. His credits include the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert film, the Beyonce Renaissance concert film and Superpower. He also worked on 2 Timers. Allie Sheborn did makeup, hair and special effects for the film. She did makeup for Rebel Moon, Mean Girls and almost eighty other films.
The end of the film and the ending credits feature the song Incantation by Whitney Tai.
5.7 Seconds is much of a psychological thriller as it is a horror film. You don't know what either of them are running from or what they're scared of. But the drama that leads to two acts of violence is both strange and intense. I wasn't sure what to expect from the film. The despair, the apprehension and the acts of violence are what make the film seem real.
The film was just featured at the L.A. Short International Film Festival. It has also been summited to other film festivals, including the Santa Clarita International Film Festival.
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© 2024 Bruce E Von Stiers