Run Run as Fast as You Can
You’re being chased through the forest with a group of friends. You guys have no idea of where you’re going. All you do know is your life may depend on a set of survival skills and pure luck of playing hide’n’seek with nature. That’s how “Run Run as Fast as You Can” opens up and it’s extremely intense and intriguing. These group of kids run and run through a forest at full speed. Why? From who? … Oh you know… just a group of men who seem to want nothing more than to capture them. From there your mind can only conjure up all the possibilities of why and you can’t help but find some of those disturbing and it sets an ominous tone (which will come to play near the end – we’ll go into that later).
One of the best elements of this film that really provides the thrilling intensity is the sound design. We are immersed and become one with the forest in the sense we are observers of these children running away; yet we know exactly where the other party is. Their sounds are never too silent, but the realistic sound of the forest covers up their tracks. In a way it plays tricks on us as we think a party might be nearer, though it’s completely something else.
Another element about this short film that really helps it is the way it’s shot. The camera moves with the children at a steady pace and forces us to become a runner with them. The short film offers a variety of shots that allow us to witness the events from different points of view in the forest. So, while it forces us to become a runner, it allows enables us to become a part of the observation team, aka: the forest. It’s an odd combination, but it really adds to the tone and the intensity of the film.
The tone in itself feels rather dark. I mean grown men chasing children is always going to give off a really weird vibe. But there’s very little sunlight in this film and there’s constant cloud coverage. It’s cold. The whole thing is cold. But there’s an unexpected tonal shift near the end that changes from being dark to somber. I’m not going to give anything away on how or what exactly makes it change, but it ends up making a lot of sense and you can’t help but see why each party of the men and the children ran into the forest on a wild goose hunt (metaphorically; there’s no geese in the short film). The tonal shift works in the films favor and is definitely one of the many things that stuck to me after the credits started to roll.
I’d check this film out if you love intense mysteries that slowly reveal more about the characters as the story goes on. It’s well thought out, well shot, and beautifully edited to make for one thrilling ride with a satisfying end that leaves the viewer wanting to know what happens next to the characters involved.
