Killing Time (2020)

Ethan, a caring husband and loving father, is awakened by a masked man with a gun. Upset and looking for answers, what Ethan learns will leave him terrified to his very core.
–Scott Lake

I generally write Indie book reviews, but when I recently got the opportunity (and pleasure) of being able to step over into the indie film world, I immediately wanted more of it. Therefore, I am now testing out my film reviewing chops. Here goes Take One…

Killing Time is a short Indie thriller-suspense film. First-time filmmaker, Scott Lake, helms as director and also co-wrote the script with indie veteran, George Cameron Romero.

The film runs a tad under 17 minutes. Now, if you are new to the indie film world, as I am, it just seems incredibly short! I have since been told that near 20-minutes is a decent length for short. Still, despite its condensed nature (for this feature-length accustomed viewer), the film sure packs an interesting amount of chilling, suspenseful goodness in the brief time frame. This watcher wanted more!

For the first eight and a half minutes of the film, there is no dialogue to speak of, as a mysterious ski-masked figure enters a family’s home. He looks like a typical robber but ends up being so much more. The music during this stretch of the film (recorded and mixed by Bastard Sons of a Judas Goat), while not spectacular to my particular taste, fits the mood and tone of the movie perfectly. It definitely adds to the progression of the film and the nerve-wracking tension.

Killing Time stars Jay Allen Tucker, who plays the lead, Ethan, and is really the only one with any dialogue in the film. His performance is done well considering this film’s budget, the fact he has to almost solely carry the film, and the time-length constraints of the film. As for the rest of the cast Melissa Eastwood, Gwendalyn Chapman and Ella Grace Weathers do great as well, and despite having no lines are pivotal in their small, yet integral, parts.

I hope Lake gets the opportunity to expand more on this short opus, as this piece has much potential to be so much more. Did I mention I was left wanting more?

Killing Time is a very simple and cleanly shot (by young cinematographer, Austin Bitikofer) film, and in this case, simple equates to pleasingly good. It goes to show that you do not need a high budget to deliver good storytelling, nor do you need incessant dialogue.

Although not credited to anyone, it is worth mentioning that the lighting in this film is very interesting and plays an integral role in setting the mood of the piece and the movement from scene to scene. The lighting uses simple, yet effective methods that are obvious enough without imposing on the scenes too much.

I dearly hope that Lake will get a chance to expand on what he started here. This short left me wanting more in the best of ways. I got to thinking of ways Lake could do this… a prequel, perhaps? In my opinion, Killing Time is a commendable effort and great debut for a first-time filmmaker and shows a lot of promise for Lake as both writer and director. It will be intriguing to see what he can produce on a higher budget.

Effective and full of potential. 7.1 out of 10.