The Halls of Jacob (2006) Online

The Halls of Jacob is a short film that will stick in your mind for a long time. A child named Jacob finds himself in a dark hallway with many doors. As he explores the rooms off the hallway he learns the story of a young boy whose life has been a difficult one ... eventually building to a personal discovery that is emotionally jarring for both Jacob and the audience.

This movie gets a lot of mileage out of what is, presumably, a small budget. The cinematography uses video to great, moody, very cinematic effect. This is a movie shot on video that doesn't feel like it's shot on video. Other technical aspects -- the sound design (nicely used classical music) and editing -- are polished and professional.

Halls of Jacob succeeds in dealing thoughtfully with sensitive topics that will make you think, but also in delivering a creepy mood piece that will make your skin tingle wondering what lies behind the next door ...

Short films can often be frustrating to watch -- in the worst cases you get the feeling that the filmmaker had some money and a camera, but nothing in particular they wanted to say. With this film, the writers and director clearly have an issue they want to talk about, and they present it in a way that's cogent, emotionally powerful, and creepily cinematic. My hat's off to them.

This is a two Kleenex short film--the sort that might make many out there cry. That's because the topic is child abuse and the film is about a boy in a coma who is on death's door after being beaten. While you see the boy lying in bed covered in bandages, you see the boy walking about the hospital with a little girl who seems to be acting as his guide. The boy can't recall exactly what has happened or why he is there and the little girl does her best to comfort him and reassure him that everything is now going to be fine.

While much of the film is pretty obvious (you'll probably quickly realize the boy in the coma is the boy wandering unseen about the hospital) but despite this, it's an excellent film for many reasons. The use of Barber's Adagio is very effective, as this is probably one of the saddest musical pieces ever written, yet it is also soft and complements the film well. Likewise, the soft lighting and cinematography is exceptional. These combine to set an appropriately somber mood and do a lot to manipulate the viewer into an emotional reaction (something tough to do but done well here). As a result, it makes a strong emotional connection with the viewer about child abuse and you can't help but be pulled into this finely crafted film.