Like John Waters' films, "Heavy Soul" is both a love letter to the fifties, and also a dead on criticism of that same era. At a time where "Reefer Madness" was considered a true definition of what drug abuse was to all parents, the exaggerated consequences of the loss of childhood innocence are very well explored in director Oren Shai's short film "Heavy Soul". Often times period indies, especially shorts, will have an anachronism here or there, but director Shai takes the limited scenery and goes all out never missing a single hitch. "Heavy Soul" is a sometimes dark, sometimes campy, and sometimes utterly weird film showing innocent Dakota Thompson being ravaged by the seedy underworld of youthful trysts that ultimately result in her downfall. Shai's direction is utterly top notch with gorgeous cinematography, and surrealistic imagery and he goes to town on Dakota's drug induced hallucinations.

With a great opening partly reminiscent of "Reefer Madness" and partly that of "The Outer Limits" we're thrust in to 1959 where sweet little Dakota who lies in her room and listens to Johnny B records all day is introduced in to the world of single parenthood, gangsters, drugs, and alcohol and slowly declines in to madness and drug hazes of her favorite singer who acts as her demon, taunting her endlessly. "Heavy Soul" in all its weirdness feels immensely genuine as if it'd jumped out of the fifties era and hardly ever looks like a true indie. The hallucinations and moody music are used as well crafted plot devices to induce the drug haze of Dakota and watching this idyllic girl fade in to drug abuse based on morbid curiosity and succumbing to the media inflicted hysteria, or just showing the sheer paranoia of the conservative media's view of children losing their innocence.

Director Shai's film "Heavy Soul" is a kitschy and surreal jab at the sheer hysteria brought upon America during the fifties, and Shai contains this sentiment and uses it for a very well done and well acted short film.

• For more information on "Heavy Soul" and its festival screenings, check out the official website: http://www.rockingoren.com

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