Sweet and Short: "Dark Palette" (Dir. Lucas Pelizaro)

Here at OBSCURAE, we've always championed short storytelling as the hunting ground for your next favourite filmmaker – and encouraged you not to skip the shorts programme!

Now, we take that one step further, partnering with London Film Club to bring you cutting edge short films from prolific, talented and motivated filmmakers, and platforming the names you'll be seeing in the credits for years to come. This is "Sweet and Short"!

"Dark Palette"

Dir. Lucas Pelizaro, Horror, 8mins

A hopeful and innocent painter, Joy, walks into a church – learning the lore of a woman who passed from the mysterious man who hired her. When he leaves, the logic of the job starts to decay, and our painter finds herself facing the dark alone.

Directed by Lucas Pelizaro, this film is impeccably constructed, and has such a brilliant and refined aesthetic and sensibility. In the early scenes, the framing gives the characters entirely too much room to move in, to the point they seem almost nervous within it, which immediately conveys to the audience that something not so safe may be afoot.

Pelizaro's love for the melodrama of church aesthetics, both within the story and within the visuals, is crystal clear - what is most welcome is the levity with which he approaches it. The scene of our heroine dancing in the candlelight was its own film unto itself, and cements his visual talent in the eye of the watcher.

What transpires shouldn't surprise anyone with a love of the genre (headphones turned ALL the way down once we hit the candlelight, folks!), but there is still something so tender about it that I had to love it. No spoilers, but you may say "Aww" audibly, even through the fear.

Keep an eye on Lucas, and thanks to London Film Club for introducing us to his work!