FANTASIA 2019: IN SOUND, WE LIVE FOREVER

Sometimes watching a short film gives you an indication on the next generation of horror filmmakers that we should keep an eye on.  There was a point in time that every short horror film that was being released recently were following the same format.  That would be the audience would be waiting a creepy monster to appear at the end before the credits.   This year the competition has become intense and the creativity and thinking is out of the box.  Which is the case for the short film In Sound, We Live Forever by director Joshua Giuliano and producer Christopher Behnen which recently screened at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal.

The film fasts forwards to a place in a rural area where a red truck is in isolation in the middle of nowhere during a beautiful sunny afternoon.  Although, what you are listening to is a couple having a romantic outing together which takes place before the scene that you are actually watching.  What happens next?  Let’s just say this is where both Joshua Giuliano and Christopher Behnen play with your senses at a level that is certainly frightening but yet ironically satisfying.

There was somewhat of a common theme during the second weekend of the Fantasia International Film Festival where a handful of films, whether it would be full-length or short, were taking place in a rural setting or deep in the forest.   In this short film, In Sound, We Live Forever, the setting proved that something more sadistic is set to happen in broad daylight in an area where the human spirit longs to be throughout the whole year which is away from the city.   It has been done before where the setting of a horror film is in a rural getaway area but the approach to this film is artistically witty and profound.

There are shades of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Friday the 13th but there is absolutely no cheese factor in this film.  In Sound, We Live Forever needs to be seen and heard in a theatre because of its heightened focus on sound and an atmosphere that allows you to absorb every emotion.  If you were watching this film on your tablet or your phone, it would be like you’re cheating on yourself.  You might have to pray a couple of Hail Mary’s as penance if you do.  Overall, Joshua Giuliano and Christoper Behnen give you the straight goods through their magic of sight and sound making your imagination run more wilder than a lot of books can.  Amen, to that.

https://www.christopherbehnen.com/in-sound-we-live-forever

https://vimeo.com/317170177