A woman going through emotional turmoil and seeking penance spends an alcohol and ink fueled night facing her fears and herself.
Written and directed by Ashlea Wessel, INK is an exploration of fears, doubt, and self-loathing as seen through the drunken vision of a woman alone. This short contains no dialogue but has no problem connecting with its audience through emotions and actions on the part of its lead. While the reasons for everything happening are not always completely clear, the emotional connection remains by having just one character being played with intensity, a thick and looming atmosphere, and enough emotions to sustain a much longer film. The use of ink, as the title implies, is much more than skin deep, it has a connection with her, with her plights. The tattoos here are deeply rooted in the character, in who she is, in how she got here. They help connect the story’s dots and help pass information while also not being the only source of ink.
Playing the lead, the only person in the film, is Mishka Balilty who pulls off a stunning performance, passing emotions through to the viewers without uttering a single word. Everything that she needs to say is said through her facial and body expressions, something she achieves with great effect and something that shows her natural ability at connection with people. Being the only cast member, her responsibility here is heavy and Balilty truly shows that she can carry a film by herself.
Showing Balilty’s work in beautifully dark images is the cinematography by Ryan Knight who creates careful framing and thus calculated images for the lead to evolve in. The bathroom where the entire short film takes place is put to good use and the way everything is filmed adds a weight to the emotions transposed. A few shots are particularly interesting, using angles most shorts do not dare to. Once such scene is when Balilty is in the dark tub, the camera is straight-on from above, showing just the tub, its dark water, and the lady laying in it. The film’s look as a whole is one that attracts the eye of darkness-loving viewers and the curiosity of other. It uses its darkness and its light to create a world of its own, one where the lead is central and is the only important being with her emotions and turmoil.
Without spoiling any surprises, the special effects in INK are stellar. These effects are done by special makeup effects artist Jen Wright with an assist by visual effects by Paige Reynolds who both do fantastic work. The two main effects pieces are strong show of talent and know-how with one being particularly effective in surprising the viewer and creating emotions and feelings in them. These effects are used sparingly, yet very effectively.
INK is an effective, well-made short film that shows talent on the part of everyone involved and a clear vision from writer/director Ashlea Wessel. It’s dark yet touching, silent yet emotional. It’s one of those shorts that can and should be watched more than once to truly grasp and absorb all of its layers. It’s a deeply felt, deeply emotion film that resonates and is hard to forget.