Name: Preserve
Genre: Short, Drama
Duration: 11 min
Rating: 6.5
Cast: Olga Sosnovska, Keith Lancaster, Simon Startin

Imaginative and slightly disturbing but not as deep a it wanted to be.

A young undertaker works on bodies to make them visually acceptable for open casket funerals.  From his basement work shop he can see the feet of the young lady (Barbara) who is secretly loves.  She runs a local barber shop where he gets a shave.  When Barbara's lover drowns his body comes to the undertaker where the undertaker can see her image embedded in his eye ball as he died.  He wants her to look at him like she looked at her drowned partner and sets out to get his love returned forever.

I love finding these shorts on late night TV, art cinemas.  In some cases you feel like you've really found something not many people know about. With this title it didn't even have an imdb entry when I saw it.  It started with a good premise and was curious throughout.  It managed to tell a complex story very quickly through clever editing and joining relevant scenes easily.  The conclusion is good but the only down side is that it didn't seem to have a meaning or a point.  I didn't think it was as deep as it thinks it is.

The cast were OK - Startin has a weird face that made him perfect for the role of the lonely, obsessive undertaker.  Sosnovska was OK as Barbara but didn't have much to do.

Overall this is imaginative, involving and slightly disturbing.  It may not have a great point behind it, and it may not stick in the mind very long - but for 11 minutes it's pretty good.

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

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The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

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When Mr. Gough, an undertaker, sees the image of Barbara's face printed in the eyes of a drowned man, he sets about capturing her image for himself.

Olga Sosnovska and Simon Startin in Preserve (1999)

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Preserve

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