In Too Deep

Starring: Stephen Wight, Rachel Shenton, Madeleine Mckenna
Directed by: Chris Overton
Rating: Not Rated
Genre: Drama, Short
Length: 17 minutes
2023

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: After the death of their daughter, two parents (Stephen Wight, Rachel Shenton) grieve in different ways, one leveraging A.I. in startling ways.

Review:

Tim: I have to say, I didn't quite love Chris Overton's In Too Deep. It has a bad title and while it plays around with some terrific ideas, I felt it was too unnecessarily obtuse. It felt like a disjointed film. On the one hand, it delivers a nearly perfectly executed study of grief. On the other, it tries to make a big statement about artificial intelligence, which doesn't quite deliver the knockout punch intended.

As far as the grief angle of the story, it mostly works without any real flaws. We see two grieving parents, isolated, shattered after the death of their daughter. The film is stark and atmospheric at times, almost suffocating as we see the unbearable weight of grief pulling these characters down. Stephen Wight is especially brilliant in a subtly beautiful performance of a broken man, grasping for any chance at salvation. His quiet acting is mesmerizing at times. I'd be very interested in seeing more of his work, based on his great performance here. Rachel Shenton is good, too, although in a more easily overlooked way. I thought her performance was good, if a bit unremarkable. I will say that there were moments where you believe Shenton might be a great actress, it's just that this short didn't give enough opportunities. I'd definitely be interested in seeing what she does with a bigger role in a feature film.

The story is intriguing, in that it explores the lengths a parent might go in the face of overwhelming loss. It tries hard to be a cautionary tale about artificial intelligence, but it doesn't quite work. I found the film to be confusing at times and I'm honestly still a bit unclear about the ending. I truly appreciated the craft of the film- Overton directs a strongly visual film that highlights the performances of the cast. However, he needed a few more minutes in his short. The movie gives enough insight into the grief and human nature aspect of the story, but it skimps on the technology side. The build up feels appropriate- the right length, the right depth. The film's climax feels rushed. I was trying to understand exactly what the film was saying, but it ended so quickly I didn't get enough time to process what was on screen. Overton likely wanted audiences to ruminate on his film long after it ended, but I felt frustrated, a bit cheated. I felt uninspired to do any thinking, more inclined to dismiss the film.

In Too Deep is an intriguing short and I'm glad I watched it, but I don't think Overton fully leveraged the potential in the story. This is the kind of short most people will never see, it won't register much. Overton is obviously a talented director, as his 2018 short film, The Silent Child won an Academy Award. This one won't win him much, although it's still fairly strong as a whole. The script is the biggest issue.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: For People in Trouble