Hide and Seek (2010) Online

A young girl hides from her father – moving into different spots in the house as he tries to find her. At first it appears it is a game, but then a different background to the scenario becomes clear.

This very short film is essentially about the end of a relationship as it impacts on a child. So we see what appears to be hide and seek but it soon becomes clear that the girl is trying to keep her father in the home – even if she is going it subconsciously. This is a nice idea as it offers the chance for the film to provide insight without spelling everything out in a really obvious. The shame is then that the film doesn't really do that good a job of it. There are small moments – the throwing of the wallet, the walking to the door, but too much of the film is spent in the hunt and not really adding too much to the character or scenario. This isn't helped by the fact that the film isn't particularly well made. The film looks home-made with a particularly flat look to the video; the camera angle is meant to show us the girl's pov but it feels obvious and a bit amateurish.

The performances don't help – it doesn't feel natural or convincing. Ironically the mess in the house does make it look like a real place (which it is) but at the same time it makes the film look a bit ugly. There is still a good idea at the core of this film and I liked what it had in mind – but the construction and delivery really needed to be better than it was.