Annulment (NR)

“Annulment” is an independent short by Writer/Director Bryan Stumpf. Shorts are a hard genre to master and a hard audience to reach. Too short, and you just have an empty shell of a movie. Too long, and you lose your audience. That said, Stumpf’s 2015 film is just the right length. It never feels too long, or too arduous for viewers to get through. It’s billed as a comedy, but early in to the movie we see it’s tilted toward horror as well. And that’s the problem. A film about divorce – that had much to offer given its stellar opening scene – is traded instead for a zombie nod to “Shaun of the Dead” or “Warm Bodies,” rather than digging for the treasure it had to offer. 

Quickly, we are able to see that Stumpf has made the right choice in choosing Albert Zabczynski as his Director of Photography. The film has pleasing cinematography throughout, consisting of mostly steady cams, and the shots are crisp and clean. Especially during the film’s solid opener, cameras linger on the actors – two men musing about life, love, and, regretfully, divorce – in just the right way to draw audiences into the picture.

The basic plot of the film is that a man, Harold (Mike Larose), flees an incoming zombie plague after watching his uncle die, and is paired up with his estranged ex, Kerry (Kat Scicluna). Along the way the two learn what worked – and did not work – in their relationship, fighting about such things as why Kerry wouldn’t take his last name of ‘Derryberry,’ or agreeing over the fact that they had a strong connection before taking their vows.

The soundtrack is clear and audible, and, for an indie, that’s important. Some films have soundtracks that don’t match the actors lips, or sound that is just too quiet to hear. On a budget of only $5,000 for “Annulment,” that’s impressive. The overall filming quality and production is clearly above the home video/camcorder type films that often pass for indies.

The problem with the film is it simply chose the wrong genre for its story, and seems lost amidst a number of nods to other films that needn’t be there. The opening is solid, hinting at an independent film look at love and divorce that I hadn’t seen before, but is quickly traded for zombies and end-of-times type material that is better suited for a straight out horror movie. I’ve complained about false openings like this before – such as in the somber “P.S. I Love You.” It’s frustrating to see a filmmaker hint at deep material to have it traded for convention.

It’s impossible to even criticize the film for being a poor zombie film. In fact, were that the film’s aim, it might have been quite good. The makeup seems believable, the ambling, shuffling gait of the ‘zombies’ seems true to form, and they seem a force to be reckoned with. But they are included as a distraction, not even as a true catalyst to bring the two protagonists together.

The acting in the film is not bad. The best actor in the film, uncle Walter (Joseph C. Felece) doesn’t get a lot of screen time; and it’s too bad. But the rest of the acting  isn’t bad for an indie, and never are you watching the screen feeling that you’re watching actors act. The dialogue flows, isn’t awkward, and you can tell that Stumpf felt inspiration while writing the script. He’s got an eye for his characters, and it shows.

At the end of the day, “Annulment” feels like a lackadaisical effort that could have been more. Director Stumpf clearly brought the right people on board to make a winning picture, but the film feels tossed away on convention. At only 20 minutes, it’s not likely to waste your time, and is entertaining along the way. It’s ultimate disappointment lies in what it could have been – hopefully we will get to see more of what Stumpf has to offer in future films that have a bit more focus.

– by Mark Ziobro