FILM INFO:
A young fighter has glory in his sites but when a surprise knockout twist of fate makes him regroup-he keeps his balance for the long game.

WRITTEN BY: Jake Hunter
DIRECTED BY: Nino Aldi
GENRE: Action, Drama
TIME: 14 minutes.

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HOMEPAGE

Face Off
( 2018 )

Feature Film Review

  Two worlds colliding. Two lives converging. These are the best two ways I can think to describe "Face Off" from writer Jake Hunter. One on one combat with each combatant representing completely different lives and world views. Both tragic. Both dramatic. So much so that it's really hard to pick a person to root for. By the end of this short film, you'll literally not be able to decide who you want to win more. At least I couldn't. "Face Off" has just such a story, and director Nino Aldi knows how to tell it. I'll be honest. I didn't expect much from this short film. Without any real online presence, and hell, not even any true poster art... I truly was expecting the worst. This film is just another reminder that you can't judge a book by it's cover, because there was clearly some heart here. As I said - I wasn't expecting much.
  It was interesting to see how two different people, from different walks of life ended up in a street-brawl-like fight against one and other. It was interesting to see how world events changed and shaped their respective path, reminding us that as much as we "think" we are in control... we are not. Maybe this is really a story of how we react to life altering situations, but any way you slice it, the journey was, for me, more interesting than the end results. No good or bad. No right or wrong. Just checkpoints to our final destinations. Maybe that's another reason the ending of this film was left open. I'm not a big fan of how this title ended, yet I can see the logic. Without many spoilers given, leaving it open ended made sense - considering the nature of the story. When you want to root for both main characters, by design, how do you end something like this any other way? As much as I wanted to see what happened next, It could have ruined the experience of the film.
  Technically, more or less, this is a hand held "feeling" film. How I wish the more traditional approach was used. Set-ups, tripods, you name it... I also realize that the hand-held motion added to the realism of the production. Yes folks, this is a gritty affair. The major fight scene(s) has no Hollywood action sound effects. No choreographed action and no studio polish. Well, I'm sure the action "was" choreographed - my point is that it didn't look like it was. Some real attention was given to a realistic feel for this story. All of our characters, especially our leading men, felt un-scripted, and just like some of the guys you probably know in real life. Real problems. Real drama. The larger than normal cast, for an indie low budget, brought this title to life. It's no stretch to write "Face Off" would probably be half the film it is, without these talented individuals. No stretch at all. Especially with a story such as this, the cast pull the film. Everything else technical is just the gravy.
  When it's all said and done, "Face Off" easily earns the rating I've given it. This isn't the quick "slide" into the rating... it's earned every point. The way it all ends may piss a few people off, I have no doubt about that - but as I wrote above... it makes perfect sense. This is a story of love, loss and what we do for the pain. It shows how far we go for those we love, and what we do for those we've lost. Was this fifteen minutes well spent? You bet. Keep an eye out for this film, and once some more info is released to the public, we will update our links to make finding it easier.

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