This atmospheric short takes us through dreams with different abstract scenarios of murder and manslaughter, all ending with a round of applause for Death, the conclusion of all (these) dreams.
A secondary character in many films and works of art over the centuries, Death takes center
stage here for a change. In this short film by Stephen Irwin – not to be confused with the ill-fated
Australian naturalist of the same name – the tone is sometimes serious, sometimes ironic and
even funny, but the aesthetic is always sombre. Is this an exploration of the end-of-the-world
mood we’re all feeling? An existential vent about the only certainty we have in this life? A morbid
observation on the spectacularization of pain and tragedy? We don’t know. But we are well
entertained as we watch this series of short sketches in which Death is always the protagonist.
So we applaud it. (Bruno Pereira)
