The Lake

The Student Film, A Rough But Noble Art Form

by Hunter Isham

        After a brief hiatus, we're back with a special treat. This week we'll be reviewing a film made by a group of students including our very own Tyler Darke. Viewing video projects made for school is an interesting prospect, as you can see work that comes from a wide range of filmmakers. As far as I know, The Lake was made by a group of relative amateurs, or at the very least they are not pursuing careers in the film industry*. With this in mind, I immediately found a lot to admire within its short 5-minute runtime. Eerie music was used well, shots were framed in a fairly interesting way, and the plot kept me watching intently. As fate would have it, this film's story is what's had me thinking about it for the past few days.

        After our last podcast recording session (with some help from the scheduling gods, we should be back at it soon), Tyler told Harry and myself about this film assignment he had for a class in which each group was assigned a film to emulate with their own production an attempt to capture some of the qualities of David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, which is a film I've yet to see. I am aware of that film's (and its director's) stranger qualities, so I was prepared for a somewhat mind-bending experience. What The Lake delivers is certainly not simple, but I can't say it clearly resolves the running mystery it presents. I don't want to spoil it for you, but I will say that the story revolves around three young women, one of whom is obsessed with "the lake," as well as a ghostly figure who seems to appear when she disappears into her thoughts. We're never certain of what we saw, or why we saw it, but once again, this may be the point. Mulholland Drive may be similarly inconclusive, in which case The Lake would successfully capture some of Lynch's cinematic essence.

        While the plot might leave you scratching your head a bit, there is much to admire here. As I stated above, creepy music is well-placed in the film's narrative, accentuating the moments of chilling confusion. A pet peeve of mine with amateur films (especially ones I make, but that's neither here nor there), is camera placement, as framing a shot properly can make any video look more professional, and I was fairly impressed with the shots in The Lake. There is quite the methodology behind how we choose angles and lighting, but disregarding that technical mumbo-jumbo, I can simply say that this film is visually interesting. Things never look flat or boring, and with an amateur short film that's just about perfection. The same can be said about The Lake, a film that may leave you with questions, but never has you checking your watch as it briskly moves forward. This short film is absolutely worth your 5-mintues, because whether or not you understand it, you'll still be glad to see something that tries its best to tell a story with a complicated set of tools. 7/10

*Of the young men and women involved in making of The Lake, I only know Tyler, so it is possible some of his fellow artists are working to become writers, directors, producers, etc...