Corey (2000) User Reviews

Undistinguished Digital Video short

[Havan_IronOak · 5/10 · 28 May 2003]

This short dealing with a little girl's loss of her father seemed to me to be a modestly failed experiment. The images presented were nothing special and the piano accompaniment was pretty mundane. The filmmaker chose to evoke an emotion with this piece and as an experiment it was just OK.

My real complaint here was probably the length. Calvin Klein ads on television run 30 seconds and seem to evoke more than this 14 minute short subject.

Superb DV Short - Catch it if you can

[Kenn-15 · 9/10 · 9 May 2002]

I saw this short on IFC and was very impressed. It looks as if it was made with a consumer DV camera but it's an example of vision and talent superceding the limitations of equipment. With no sync sound, it tells the story of a father's legacy, and a daughter's eventual realization of that legacy through nature. Particularly striking is the performance of Karen Klein as the "adult Corey" (although she's hardly an adult). Using only facial expression and body language, she conveys powerful emotion and has a face one doesn't soon forget. Also striking is the use of "distressed footage" for flashbacks -- out of register images that represent Corey's memories of her and her father that stand out against the monochrome landscape that forms the rest of the film. Although the music is a bit over-emotional, the filmmaker knows just how long to make the film -- he tells the story, gets in and gets out and doesn't linger, so it doesn't become too sentimental. A very strong amateur effort by some very talented people. I hope they keep making films, and I hope Karen Klein pursues acting!