Sarah's Thrilling Film

Bruce Von Stiers

One definition of Venus Retrograde says that this zodiacal phase allows you to regenerate your creative pursuits, to realign and reevaluate your self-worth.

There is a film that takes Venus Retrograde to a whole different level. The film is titled Retrograde: For The Art. It is a short film that is part crime drama and part thriller, with a touch of horror thrown in.

The film starts out with a definition of retrograde, stating that when planets start moving backwards the lives of people on Earth are negatively impacted. Although this definition might seem opposite of the one I mentioned earlier, it definitely fits the plot of this film.

Sarah is waiting for her friends to show up. She calls them and they let her know that they can't make it. But she's there and she'll kill it.

Salvador is being interviewed. He is told that he's played a huge role in bringing diversity to the film industry. Apparently, he's some kind of big deal filmmaker. He tells the interviewer he's tired of doing the same old thing, over and over again.

Sarah tries filming Salvador but gets caught by his security guy. But that ends up being a good thing as Sarah gets to talk to Salvador. He learns she's an actor and blogger. He has a project that she is sure to want to be a part of.

This sounds like a great opportunity for Sarah. She even recruits her two friends I mentioned earlier to be a part of this film project. But great opportunities sometimes don't end up being so great. Sometimes they end up being horrible, and even deadly.

A desert location and a strange, awkward film plot devised by Salvador brings an uneasy feeling for the three women. But, hey, it's an acting opportunity, right? What could possibly go wrong?

The film takes a couple of great twists and turns near the end. You might see what's coming next, but maybe not. I kind of figured out one of the twists, but not exactly how it actually played out. And I was completely in the dark about a second plot twist. What starts out as an Avant Garde publicity stunt ends up being far more dark and sinister.

Allie Perez starred as Sarah and also wrote the screenplay for the film. She co-starred in three Amityville films, an Emanuelle film and recently in the thriller short film Cabin.

Alma Muniz was Anna, one of Sarah's friends she recruited for the film project. She appeared in short films such as Torment and Love On Speed and studied at NYU's famed drama department.

Joceyln Palmora played Josie, Sarah's other friend. She has appeared in Dominion, Down For Life and The Fabrice Show.

ShaShaty played Salvador. He also appeared in The Fabrice Show and Ben and Lacey. He composed music such films as The Devil's Ride. And he composed the music for this film.

The film was directed by Maximillian Decker. From The Unit to Perception to Mayans M.C., Decker has over forty acting credits. He produced several films and has directed over twenty-five films. And he has spent many years at the MAD Acting Studio coaching actors, including three who appear in this film.

The cinematographer was Phil Flock. Additionally, he edited the film, was the stunt coordinator and helped provide visual effects. His past work includes being the cinematographer on several short films, such as Spit and the micro short RIP Daddy. Being of German/ Polish heritage, he went to film school in Berlin.

Other behind the scenes people on the film were Matt Tkocz as a visual effects artist and Elsa James as a camera operator. And Hazel Ahn was listed in the film's credits for Behind The Scenes.

Additional actors on the film were Koi Kadara, George Mansel and Roman Moretti. Jonathan Wesley Booker played Wes, the security guy who hassled Sarah.

Retrograde: For The Art was Alle Perez's screenwriter's debut. The film was produced by her production company, Mexican Vanilla.

Retrograde: For The Art is an outstanding thriller film. It leads you down a path where you know something bad is going to happen, you just don't know where, when or who it's going to happen to. The acting was excellent, and the cinematography was exceptional.

The film has been selected for The Thing In The Basement Horror Festival, the Multi Dimension Independent Film Festival, Paris Awards Film Festival, Berlin Shorts Film Festival and the Mindfield Film Festival. It has already won awards at the Fiesta SATX Short Film Festival, the Big Screen Blast Festival and the Venice Short Films Awards among others. Some of the awards the film received include Best Director Web Series, Best TV Series, Best Short, Best Thriller, Best Actress and Best Actor.

The film is also under consideration for the upcoming Santa Clarita International Film Festival.

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© 2024 Bruce E Von Stiers