Since being introduced to Oren Shai many years ago I've managed to really take a liking to the man's work because not only are his films short and to the point, but the man successfully evokes the tone and grit of the mid fifties with pieces that have no actual announced time frame but lean heavily toward the decade that was most beloved. The man really has a passion for films of that era and he shows it with his latest "Condemned," a movie very much in the vein of "Shawshank Redemption" in where he gets in to the mind of women yet again by revisiting the genre of prison films that insist on exploring the psyches of the prisoners instead of actually enlisting violence or clichés. The film acts as a metaphor for death in a world where it's most prominent as he zooms in on a young prisoner simply named #1031. To her she's yet another prisoner, but for us she's perceived as the average prisoner, a person waiting for the sweet release of death in the face of a world they can no longer exist in. For Shai's film he expands on the story by revealing a woman who accidentally became the pawn of a plot in the prison becoming a snitch and patsy.

Co-star Aprella is a gorgeous young roommate who seems too good to be true. Made up, well groomed, and presenting a calm demeanor, she serves as a series of symbols for the character #1031. She could be death waiting to take her away, she could be god trying to help her come to terms with her punishment, she could be fate easing her in to her inevitable demise, she could be Satan anxiously standing by to escort her in to her own private doom, or she could simply be the person assigned to kill her when she least suspects it. By the final moments it all becomes apparent what's awaiting our main character and Shai leaves the story on a high note allowing the audience to present their own interpretation of what will occur to this young woman as her day comes. Shai is a wonderful director capable of making every situation seem like a time capsule of the fifties and this film is no exception. He manages to bring the best out of his cast and their performances are sharp, especially from Margaret Anne Florence. Ultimately "Condemned" stands as a metaphor for mortality and paying for your crimes and as a short form tale, it's yet another achievement for Shai.

Director Oren Shai is a consistently talented filmmaker with a knack for depicting stories that set down in the fifties. The man's love for that period makes for some truly extraordinary short films that prove the man has mastered his craft.

• For more information on "Condemned," visit the official website.