Feature Film Review

Film Info:
5M is a tale of greed, lust, deception
and crime in Silent films genre that is bound to take you on one bumpy, yet
an exciting ride.

Written By: Siva Somayajula,
Amaravadi S. Raman
Directed By: Amaravadi S. Raman
Genre: Thriller
19 Minutes

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5M: A SILENT FILM THAT SCREAMS ( 2014 )

  Let me start off by writing that the concept behind "5M: A Silent Film That Screams" is a really cool one. In this day and age, a throwback to a simpler time is an exciting idea. Amaravadi S. Raman promises a return to the start with a modern twist and I caught myself thinking this could either be really cool or a complete bomb, which always seems to be the case when dealing with artistic productions. This same artistic freedom is also the beauty of indie film, hit or miss you use your own playbook. Within the first few minutes one thing caught my eye. The beautiful locations used in the movie and the attention to lighting and shot compositions. Some of the scenes here are truly inspiring! So, by this point I was thinking: Great concept, great set design and over all, a seemingly good eye. Maybe "5M: A Silent Film That Screams" will end up being one of the good ones. It was. From start to finish this is a visually awesome, well written film that despite some minor problems, was a genuine pleasure to watch; and I really loved the ending. As cliche as it actually was, I never would have guessed it.
  Technically, as I wrote above "5M" is a visually striking film. A few scenes existed that I, personally would have loved to have been a bit more "stable" in the shaky-cam department. But not so bad as to simply mention it in passing, then never again. Although I hate shaky "indie" styled shots, at least here it was done with some finesse. The editing itself was done decent enough, with a special "cool beans" kind of thumbs up to the way things were put together at the end of the film, adding a slight grindhouse/70s style to the production.
  Generally, audio is a huge issue with indie film. Here, since no dialog exists I figured I wouldn't be writing of this at all. Not quite the case though. Some of the sound effects, thrown in with the score just felt like they really were thrown in over top. From ice cubes to paper, to someone drinking... sometimes it all just came through way to loud or crisp. Again, minor complaint, but one that did keep pulling me out of the world Siva Somayajula and Amaravadi Raman were trying to create.
  Another irritating element that kept popping up was the completely exaggerated motions performed by the actors. Granted, this did tone down a little by the end... but man oh man they were ridiculous at times. I understand this is a silent film, but having such grand gestures simply made parts of the movie almost comical. A little downplayed and more natural would have been perfect.
  "5M: A Silent Film That Screams" is not the perfect movie, but it's some damn good entertainment. From the visual beauty to the cliche but interesting story, this is easily a watchable title. Since you can watch it for free, there is really no need to be reading any more of this write-up. Grab a drink and sit down for a few minutes. Enjoy some artistic independence a-la short film. An interesting premise done well.
-MC

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