Merah (2019)

Merah (2019) - Malaysia

Directed by: D-Ni

ABOUT THE FILM:

Merah ("Red") plays out like a 5-minute anti-bullying PSA, about a couple of bullies who pour red liquid all over another young girl's artwork, supposedly ruining it. However, her drawing is brought to life, and she confronts the young bully, smacking her in the face hard enough to draw blood.

REVIEW:

Being only a 5-minute short, there is very little content to digest in terms of story. I will say, however, that Merah works well as PSA as it can encourage people to stand up for themselves and not let people walk all over them.

On a visual level, the short is interesting. The gritty black-and-white cinematography works well with the subject matter and tone, and the highlights of the color red make the short feel more three-dimensional and give it life. The short is also tightly edited, with good sound design and choice of music. Probably the best part is the rotoscope effect, which takes place as the young girl's drawing, Hana, comes to life. The animation perfectly fits the movements of the actor and the style particularly reminded me of traditional anime/manga art, which I am quite fond of.

For a five-minute short, it gets its point across and definitely delivers some interesting ideas and techniques.

RELEASES:

-This short has not yet been released and I was provided with a screener copy from the director.