A couple invites friends over for a game brunch on a random Sunday, but what are their true intentions?
Written and directed by Christina Raia, this funny take on the set-up meal for friends to meet friends and maybe more has a fun twist that some will see coming, but it will still be fun to watch it all go down. As usual, Raia’s writing and directing show talent and an understanding of storytelling. Here she plays in her usual field by twisting something mostly usual and making it her own. The least said the better here in terms of what the film is about. In terms of the writer/director’s work, those used to her style and her previous short films will not be let down by this one.
The cast, as is usually the case with Raia’s film, are not super familiar (or not at all in most cases) and yet they bring the audience in. This proves that good acting is good acting, no matter who does it. Here, the team in front of the camera all do great work, something that is great for the film as it heavily relies on them to tell the story and show what they are all about. They all work with the story and their characters’ suspicions of each other’s intentions and person. There is something brewing under the surface and this cast knows how to make this show without telling everything directly to the camera.
As usual, this is a lower budget type of short, but Raia makes the most out of her budget, pulling in talented people for all aspects of the film, including the cinematography, the sets, and the costumes. This makes the film feel like a little slice of regular life. Until the twist that is.
Game Brunch is a strong short with a horror background that is used in a way that the twist could have been about many different things, but it is ultimately about makes it a bit lighter in terms of getting a message across without feeling like it is being shoved into the viewer face. As the film is a short, it’s perfect for the story. This is something better done in a shorter time frame so as not to push it too long and make the viewer just want it to end. This is the kind of story better served by a shorter runtime and Raia keeps it thankfully short and on point.