SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL - REVIEW
SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL
Director : Yige Wang
Writers : Bertille Gaillard, Léa Lechien
Starring : Anaée Vignon, Melody Lejeune
Runtime : 4 minutes
Genre : Student, Short, Horror
Digital - Color - 2,35:1
Language : French
Country : France
2024
Storyline
Camille, a young 20-year-old vampire, is in a relationship with Laura, her drug dealer. When Laura asks her for a large amount of money, the situation turns into a tragedy, a crime mixing desire and violence.
© Yige Wang
Sympathy for the Devil directed by Yige Wang is a short, intense and intelligent behind closed doors with a rock n roll spirit (hence the title of the film, a famous Rolling Stones song from 1968) focused on a horrific and surreal subject: vampirism, which here is part of a style that is both modern and retro, somewhat similar to the cinema of French filmmaker, Julia Ducourneau.
© Yige Wang
No unnecessary artifice, no eccentric staging to represent the scenes; a few vinyls hung on the wall will be enough. Indeed, the director has focused on a certain minimalism where sobriety is sufficient to create a certain tension between the only two actresses in the film: Camille (Anaée Vignon) and her dealer Laura (Melody Lejeune), who initially seem to be linked by the game of looks.
© Yige Wang
A single element: the bag of blood present in Camille's hands from the first moments on a rhythmic and crackling melody allows us to quickly understand her psychology and her intentions. Thus, the few dialogues that follow appear like a delayed murder. Time passes little by little, heartbeats intensify and finally, the murderous madness links again with rock to end like a most fatal musical tragedy.
© Yige Wang
Let's mention the nice work on the storyboard and the photography with the dominance of gray and contrasting tones linking perfectly to the 70's outfit of the characters (perfecto, wool sweater, chain around the neck...). The acting of the actresses is always fair, like the film in general.
Sympathy for the Devil is a nice short film of less than five minutes, very well mastered in its technical and storyline aspects, suggesting a possible sequel?
By Hallucinea Film Festival
