Monday, September 28, 2020

IMAGINARY FRIEND (360/365 Film Festival)****

 

By Aashiq

Link: https://vimeo.com/24354145

Available until: Unknown

This isn’t a play and it wasn’t filmed in lockdown, but I’m reviewing it anyway because it’s written by Reece Dinsdale and I adore him as Albert in Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime (the old series from the 80s which is really good, not the David Walliams monstrosity). Well worth a watch. After you’ve watched Imaginary Friend

Pauline has an imaginary friend and housemate, Margery. They chat quite companionably as Pauline gets a cup of tea. The friendship is interesting right from the start, but the more it goes on, the more questions arise. Now I’ve watched it, I think the situation is this… but it could be that. Or it could be something else I haven't thought of.  I usually get quite annoyed over that sort of thing because I just want to know what’s going on RIGHT NOW, but I don’t feel that way about Imaginary Friend. I want to keep thinking and wondering – and I’ll probably keep thinking and wondering for a long time.

For this beautifully-shot film (directed by Ian Bevitt), Reece has created two fascinating characters and Maxine Peake gives a characteristically excellent performance which not only brings her own character, Pauline, to life, but Margery too. I felt as though I could see Margery and I could guess what she was saying from Maxine’s reactions. The tension builds brilliantly towards the end, at which point the story twists in a direction I really wasn’t expecting. The film is only thirteen minutes long, but time seems to slow down, suspending you in a moment of real terror. 

It’s clever, intriguing and genuinely disturbing film. I loved it.  

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