Soft

Soft is a gripping short film by English director Simon Ellis that raises questions about how people deal with violence. It features three main characters, an urban staging, strong internal and external conflicts and how these are handled in and a father and son relationship.

Highlights of the film include the use of internal conflicts to build tension, how the emotional state of the father character is transmitted through close-ups, moving cameras and jump cuts, the continuity built through the different camera aesthetics, the combination of sound with off-screen space to build tension and the notable acting.

As the author himself states, Soft is intended to raise unsettling questions, more than give answers. And in that regard, it’s clearly effective.