Short Film Review: “Aelfread”

Dir: Paul Moxon
UK • Fantasy • 5 Mins

Aelfread, an Anglo-Saxon lord and warrior, enters an ancient, sacred woodland where he encounters a mysterious young woman who lures him deeper into the darkness toward a confrontation with a powerful spirit, the Wuduaelf.

Filmmaker Paul Moxon’s short but sweet film Aelfread is a dialogue-free, visual treat that wastes no time setting the scene and striking a powerful mood with its eerie soundtrack. Along with some clever blocking and reveals, the visuals fuel a surreal, dreamlike experience.

Where handheld camerawork often gives a film a sense of urgency, here it gives us an uneasy feeling that we, the audience, are not just being placed in a voyeuristic position but possibly have a more active role in proceedings. The changing aspect ratio and use of colour & desaturation, along with the breaking of the fourth wall, also gives us much to ponder and makes you question where the line between reality and fiction is, or if there is one at all!

Part of a larger project, “A Glass Darkly”, Aelfread is not only an intriguing start to the collection of shorts from filmmaker Paul Moxon and his team that will leave you with plenty to consider, but it will also make you eager to see the upcoming entries in what promises to be a very surprising, engaging and immersive series too.

Aelfread is a fantastic, surreal, visual and unsettling little tale with a superb soundtrack that will haunt you long after you finish watching it.

7/10

Reviewed by Philip Pugh