Short Film Review: “Run Out” Gives Visual Flair To The Day-To-Day Grind
Run Out is a short film created by UK photographer and director Tamas Levardi. The film is lush with strong visuals, which it relies on to communicate its pariah’s tale, and inspired by Richard Bach’s 1970 novella Jonathan Livingston Seagull, whose opening quote about transcending obstacles to obtain a sense of freedom serves as the film’s thesis.
Run Out centers around an unnamed oddball (Nic Balfe) who lives in an oppressive environment and is searching for acceptance.
Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull is about an odd little sea bird named Jonathan who just can't fit in with other gulls. With a deep admiration for flying and with a little practice, Jonathan eventually soars higher than any sea bird. The story is a fable about life (as flight) and a homily about self-perfection, and a lot of this finds its way into Levardi’s Run Out. While the quote that opens the film adequately meshes with its intent, there’s another excerpt that also applies: “Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding. Find out what you already know and you will see the way to fly.”
The story is very straightforward and relies entirely on its images and curated score as its driving force. Its protagonist is a societal misfit at odds with his environment and bogged down with the minutiae of day-to-day life, which many viewers will be able to relate to. However, the choice to visually allude to the character’s internal turmoil exteriorly (he wears a dinosaur onesie) is a bit problematic, since we don’t ever see anyone who appears any different. With the exception of the ending, we don’t see another character, and the story here would have benefited greatly from some contrast.
Similarly, the conflict is a bit nonexistent. Granted, Run Out is more about internal struggle, which is very apparent and can be palpably felt at times (thanks to actor Nik Balfe’s emotive performance); however, we have little knowledge or understanding about what led him to feel this way, and we never see him interact with anyone. This makes his journey learning to fly much less resonant. The film lands on a conclusion that gives the character’s quest a hopeful and uplifting end, but it doesn’t fully succeed on delivering an answer to the dilemmas that shroud its protagonist’s aura. It seems to be suggesting that the only way to feel truly happy is by moving away, but many of the character’s problems can’t exactly be transcended by a simple relocation and will likely follow him wherever he goes.
The film’s curated musical score covers the entirety of its runtime, and it accompanies the emotional undercurrents of the short. It drives the film forward, giving it a nice pulse, but it also forces the emotions at times, telling the viewer how to feel and detracting a bit from its overall impact. It also has the tendency to amp up the film’s melodrama in ways that may rub certain viewers the wrong way or come across as less sincere.
One thing is for sure, Tamas Levardi has an excellent eye for striking images, which harks back to his photography roots. He fills Run Out with rich, evocative images that have a slight arthouse feel, giving off notes of Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Lars Von Trier. There are many breathtaking shots of UK’s Brighton area that pepper the film and make it worth the watch, and everything is very evenly paced and stitched together with a nice, snappy glide.
Recommendation: If you like misfit tales and stories that rely heavily on the visual elements, give Run Out a shot.
Rating: 3 dino onesies outta 5.
Interested?! Check out the film below!
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!