Bedlamer (2024) AND Naualli (2024) [Blood in the Snow Film Festival]

By Joseph Perry

Normally here at “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict”, both Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of feature length cinema. However, here and there they will be taking a look at films that don’t quite hit the run time for a feature length classification. For this installment, it’s Joseph with two solo outings covering Alexa Jerrett’s Canadian short film Bedlamer and Adrian G. de la Peña’s Canadian short film Naualli.

BEDLAMER

Synopsis

On the shores of a small fishing village lives a lonely settlement of men, capturing and domesticating otherworldly creatures that were never meant to be tamed.

Joseph: Writer/director Alexa Jerrett’s Bedlamer is a hauntingly beautiful take on selkie — creatures who shapeshift between seal and human forms — mythology. It serves as both a mysterious, dreamlike tale of selkies trapped in human female form by a group of fishermen to serve as their wives, and as subtle commentary on relationship and even patriarchal dynamics. Rhiannon Morgan, Gracyn Rowe, and Marin Rowe give splendid, almost silent performances as three of the creatures from the sea. Director of Photography Nigel Markham delivers stunning black-and-white cinematography, filled with breathtaking scenery filmed at the Random Passage Site in New Bonaventure, Canada. Beautiful sound design and foley work from the sound department crew and Ian Foster’s fine score add to the eeriness, as does an evocative song that closes the film. Highly recommended for horror film aficionados of all stripe. Those interested in folklore and mythological characters should find it essential viewing.

Bedlamer screened as part of the Blood in the Snow Film Festival, which ran November 18–23, 2024 in Toronto, Canada.

Bedlamer

Directed By: Alexa Jerrett

Written By: Alexa Jerrett

Starring: Rhiannon Morgan, Gracyn Rowe, Marin Rowe

Run Time: 15 minutes

Rating: NR

Release Date: September 15, 2024 (Canada)

NAUALLI

Synopsis

After the sudden death of his son, a grieving father (Tom Carey) inadvertently unleashes the ancestral Nagual power of a young Latin woman (Itzel J. Velázquez Martínez) whom he has done wrong by.

Joseph: Revenge from beyond the grave horror tales are a long-standing tradition, and writer/director Adrian G. de la Peña serves up a unique take on the subgenre with his short Naualli. The storyline is rather simple but the presentation is eerie and effective. De la Peña incorporates the Mesoamerican and Toltec spiritual tradition of the Nagual spirit into the tale. Avoiding spoiler territory as much as possible, I’ll leave it at that except to add that a creature is brought to cinematic life courtesy of some impressive practical effects work. Martínez and Carey both give moving performances. Note: I knew nothing about the spiritual tradition of the Nagual before viewing Naualli, but after watching the short for the first time, researching a bit about it afterward gave me a more understanding take for my second watch. You don’t need to learn about the Nagual first to enjoy the short and feel its impact, but it may help you with the spiritual tradition aspects of the short. Recommended for horror film fans of all stripes.