A young man finds a creature in a bus.
NEITHER HERE NOR THERE is used with permission from Franco Machado-Pesce. Learn more at / niaquiniallamovie .
Nacho has been beaten up by racist bullies in his neighborhood, and he feels a desire for vengeance growing in his heart, fueled by pain and hatred. But after taking refuge in an abandoned building site, he discovers a magical, mysterious creature hiding inside a bus.
Their initial meeting is frightening and the bus, too, is dark and foreboding. But Nacho eventually overcomes his fear, soon realizing the monster is just as scared and vulnerable as he is.
Written and directed by Franco Machado-Pesce, this horror short unfolds like a fairy tale or fable, starting with its richly textured animated intro sequence. In a series of beautifully detailed vignettes, we see the details of Nacho's life, from his outsider origins to the bullies he faces to the ideas about hatred, anger and forgiveness that preoccupy the narrator.
Though bullying is the catalyst for Nacho's journey, it is not the main subject of the narrative. Instead, it picks up as Nacho deals with the aftermath, where his emotions are roiling, and actor Jorchual Gregory Vargas's performance details the agony that Nacho experiences over his isolation and suffering. At this critical juncture, he feels a strong hatred for those who have persecuted him. And just at this moment, a monster begins to lurk around him in the shadows.
The film shifts into horror mode, complete with skillfully constructed suspense and elegantly taut camerawork. In a fine orchestration of editing, sound and image, tension builds as Nacho investigates this hidden presence, leading to a terrifying encounter. The sequence is impressive, both in its compelling evocation of fear and dread and in its technical craftsmanship. But then the story takes a less thriller-like, more emotionally subtle turn, as Nacho faces the monster again in a much different way. He discovers that it is not so different from him at all, and he gives the creature the solace and comfort that he needs himself.
NEITHER HERE NOR THERE features impressive visuals, from the textured, detailed animated vignettes at the film's beginning to the accomplished cinematography and camerawork. But its most distinctive hallmark is how it segues from the skillfulness of its genre stylings to a genuinely tender evocation of compassion from one being to another. The monster's full reveal is a marvel, and we see it for not just its hideousness but its childlike vulnerability. It's possible to read the story as a metaphor, with the monster borne out of Nacho's darker emotions -- and his care for it as a way of comforting himself, bestowing upon him all the love and kindness he needs to move forward.
17 сен 2024
