As much as I wanted to love it, “Mavet” wasn’t a film I found myself giddy over, for the simple fact that the “arty” plot is something I’ve seen conducted almost three hundred times in many other short films, and whether the film intended to touch on that aspect or honestly attempted explore this plot in a unique manner, it doesn’t go off well and comes off as yet another arty short film that won’t truly resonate with audiences. The ingredients are there: two people playing chess, in a very dark room, the Asian man playing the chess wins, and it ends up that his opponent takes the mantle of death, and he gets to go on another day without his job as death incarnate. It’s just such a cliché premise that I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. All of which was topped off with “Fin”, which is a sentiment for the end of a film that’s become so obligatory and obvious for the artists seeking to make a statement. There’s really not much else to the film, because it’s only a few minutes long, and doesn’t completely require our two cast members to act. There’s no dialogue, and no chemistry, just four minutes of chess playing and the Ingmar Bergman climax that waxed predictable.

Had the film managed to mix up the formula instead of adhering to its conventions, “Mavet” would have been a very odd short film, but its insistence on being obvious in its story makes it just another art film.

• For more information on “Mavet” and future films from Russem Productions, visit the official website: http://www.russem.com

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