Two is a thrilling short film. The story revolves around deceit and broken trust, that has us hooked till the very last scene.
Genre: Drama
Duration: 8 minutes
Release Date: 5th March 2020
Written by Abdinasir Hussein.
Synopsis
Two friends try to figure out what to do after one of them has killed a robber in their home.
Directors statement’s
Carmen Windsor
Carmen said, “I found ‘WeMakeFilms’ while I was looking for a screenwriters’ group to join. WMF turned out to be far better than writing in a group. It was a great opportunity to direct narrative fiction for a change. The cast and crew of WMF productions are incredibly resourceful, and I love how they can make magic happen so quickly.
Everyone gets a chance to shine, both in front of the camera and behind it.”
About Carmen
By day, Carmen produces and directs musicians for corporate, commercial, and educational content; by night, she writes for screen and print.
Producer’s Comment
This film presented a challenge, in filming, as well as in post-production. We had to shoot at the clay pigeon shoot the weekend before the main shoot. Unfortunately, Florence Fox was not available that day so we had to use a standing with a fake ponytail. Thanks, Marta Talmacs, for standing in.
The continuity team did a great job in delivering across the 3 days.
Having a shotgun on set was even more of a nightmare, as even replicas are difficult to come by.
In post-production matching the different shoot locations was a real challenge for the editor who had to patch it all together. Well done Julie Childs.
| Producer | Paul Howard |
| Director | Carmen Windsor |
| 1st Assistant Director | Jack Sindely |
| DOP | Frank Hammond |
| Writer | Abdinasir Hussein |
| Editor | Julie Childs |
| Cast | |
| Kira | Florence Fox |
| PJ | Jermaine Stephens |
| Mac | Kat Stone |
| Leigh | Marta Talmacs |
| Instructor | Alan Ny |
| Father | Robin Watson |
For full cast and crew list, see our Two – IMDB page
Two – Independent Reviews
Two (June 2020) – Film Review
“Two” is a 2020 thriller short film written by Abdinasir Hussien and directed by Carmen Windsor. Produced and released under the banner of the indie studios ‘WeMakeFilms’, the eight-minute short is a twisted tale of passion and revenge set against the backdrop of a robbery gone wrong.
The film stars Florence Fox (“Birthday” and “The Leak”) as our lead character Kira, Jermaine Stephens (“Dear John’) as her boyfriend PJ and Kat Stone (“A Ghost Story”) as Mac. In addition, Robin Watson also stars as Kira’s supportive father. The film begins with an expensive necklace being given to Kira by her father. The necklace was the property of Kira’s mother and after her passing, she willed it to be given to her daughter. Unknown to Kira, her boyfriend PJ has concocted a plan to steal the necklace with his lover Mac when Kira would be out on work. PJ and Mac intend to run away together after selling the priceless necklace. PJ would not commit the robbery himself and the act of stealing would be done by Mac.
“Will she let the police arrest PJ or will her feelings for her boyfriend come in the way of justice?”
However, nothing goes as expected and Kira ends up shooting Mac in the chest, killing her instantly. With his plan in tatters, PJ tries to force Kira to hide the body in a field, fearing that if police were called, he too would be caught under the impending investigation. Kira, under emotional distress, reluctantly agrees. Unknown to PJ, Kira already knew about the impending robbery due to a mutual friend of hers and PJ’s and that is why she didn’t go to work that day. As Kira excuses herself to a bedroom and dials the police, she has a difficult decision to make; will she let the police arrest PJ or will her feelings for her boyfriend come in the way of justice?
Taking inspiration from films such as “Unfaithful” and “A Perfect Murder”; the minds behind Two succeed in creating a taut and tense thriller under the backdrop of a crime of passion. The dynamics of the love triangle are cleverly established and the film is intelligent in its exposition; forcing the audience to deduce what is happening on screen instead of blurting it out for easy consumption. This is particularly true for PJ and Mac’s relationship where it is not immediately clear why they are meeting secretly in a car. This makes the twists much more shocking, keeping the audience on their toes until the end.
“unconventional camera angles during Kira and PJ’s conversation”
The film fleshes out its characters really well, giving everyone a unique personality to improve the narrative. The nonlinear narrative adds a layer of intricacy to the film and helps elevate the film from your average run of the mill crime thriller. The plot, although packed with five different characters with their own motivations, is easy and entertaining to follow. In regards to the cinematography, it is vibrant and stunning as the film opens up with a beautiful aerial shot of the vast English countryside.
The top-notch cinematography is further seen in the unconventional camera angles during Kira and PJ’s conversation over Mac’s dead body as it adds a layer of complexity to the drama unfolding onscreen. The soundtrack is inspired by the works of Tom Holkenberg and M83; the pulsating score elevates the underlying tension prevalent throughout the film.
Being an effective thriller, “Two” resurrects a genre that hasn’t seen its heyday since the 90s. Just like the best films of its genre, “Two” succeeds in creating both romantic and psychological tension between its leads, leading up to an explosive finale. This short film is a raw look into the unintended consequences of a relationship that is at breaking point. The film skilfully plays upon the expected cliches and is ceaselessly entertaining from start to finish.
Two (April 2020) – Review
Two (2020)
In Carmen Windsor’s own words, she aims to make her audience feel. She will go to any length to make the viewers feel every single emotion there is, be it sadness or joy, grief or disgust, shame or repulsion, awe or discomfort; she has the ability to truly reel her viewers in. Her short-thriller “Two” does the same.
To develop a story revolving around deceit and broken trust, Windsor expertly directs a thriller that has us hooked till the very last scene. With a script written by Abdinasir Hussein who gives us tightly written storyline, allowing characters to come alive. Hussein’s writing is astonishingly plausible, penning down events with exceptional clarity. Adjoined with Windsor’s direction, the transformation from paper to screen needs to be appreciated.
The plot build-up is intriguing with a fragmented narrative that breaks down scenes before bringing them all together to answer the arousing curiosities.
The story unfolds in Kira’s home, our protagonist and a controversial hero, after she receives a highly valued necklace from her father as a gift. The necklace holds more of an emotional value for her rather than monetary as it belonged to her late mother. The story reaches its climax when a robbery at her place to steal the necklace goes wrong, ending in the death of the thief. The hysterically crying Kira and a masked dead body create a rather distressing mood until the ultimate plot twist.
The short-film has a total runtime of only 8 minutes and it’s a remarkable feat in how much Windsor is able to portray to the audience in this short time.
“Windsor aims to achieve the shock and stun effect with the way events unfold in the story”
Windsor aims to achieve the shock and stun effect with the way events unfold in the story. Although the scene leading up to the climax reveals the thievery plan but it is the way the incidents occur that changes the drama.
The whole film has been shot under bright lights to give daytime effect, making the circumstances even more jarring. The cinematography by Frank Hammond must also be acknowledged with the way he tried to convey more with less. The frequent camera close-ups and panning out frequently reveal where the action is about to take place. The brief shots have us experience the whole story in manner similar to flashbacks and the frequent close-ups of the characters bring in an intimate feel to an already emotionally charged scene.
“PJ lifts the mask off the dead body’s face to reveal…”
It is especially apparent as the scene opens up with a focus on Kira’s crying, mascara streaked eyes and a haunted look on her face before panning out to reveal the dead body of the masked thief lying in front of her. Another example is that of the climax scene where PJ lifts the mask off the dead body’s face to reveal Mac as Kira sits at the edge of her bed talking to the police and visible only through her reflection on the shaded glass window giving the effect as if the audience isn’t meant to discover her secret just yet.
The background music rises and falls rhythmically to the beat of the occurrences in the film, taking on mysterious undertones as the movie draws to an end. Combined by the shot into light sequences, the editing accelerated to run us through the course of the events, the film successfully manages to have us intrigued.
Overall “Two” is a skilful piece of filmmaking and a very moving portrayal of misuse of trust and all that could go wrong if you trust the wrong people.
Two has been submitted to the following film festivals
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