Despite that I've seen this movie over ten times and KNOW what's going to happen at the end, I find myself still terrified and concerned about the characters each and every time I watch it. Ast does an amazing job getting the audience invested in a story that has little dialog and lasts only six minutes. The interactions between Sherry and school shooters Rick and Chase give background to their own motives without explaining too much, and are believable as real-life high school scenarios.
Driscoll's cinematography is really awesome- done mostly hand-held, it does a great job of adding to the tension and chaos of the scene taking place. It's also beautifully lit.
For the most part, this movie functions in real-time or six actual minutes in a library. However, there are a few places where the editing takes you out of that moment- namely Rick moving furniture around in the library to block Sherry's exits, and Sherry's final escape out a window. These, coupled with a few flaws in the film's opening sound design are the film's only weaknesses.
To elaborate on that- The film opens on a black screen, with the screams of several victims and gunshots. One victim screams out "what the **** is going on," while another is shot almost immediately. These screams and gunshots give the impression that the film will start amongst a huge commotion. Instead, our opening is Sherry nearly alone in a library, save for a few students who have already been taken out.
One of the final (and best things) about the movie is that it begins and ends in the same manner- gunshots and screaming, with Sherry crouched down, just trying to escape from the entire situation, but powerless to get out of the library. These two powerful bookends leave us with the (true) interpretation that this is one scenario you never truly leave.
Driscoll's cinematography is really awesome- done mostly hand-held, it does a great job of adding to the tension and chaos of the scene taking place. It's also beautifully lit.
For the most part, this movie functions in real-time or six actual minutes in a library. However, there are a few places where the editing takes you out of that moment- namely Rick moving furniture around in the library to block Sherry's exits, and Sherry's final escape out a window. These, coupled with a few flaws in the film's opening sound design are the film's only weaknesses.
To elaborate on that- The film opens on a black screen, with the screams of several victims and gunshots. One victim screams out "what the **** is going on," while another is shot almost immediately. These screams and gunshots give the impression that the film will start amongst a huge commotion. Instead, our opening is Sherry nearly alone in a library, save for a few students who have already been taken out.
One of the final (and best things) about the movie is that it begins and ends in the same manner- gunshots and screaming, with Sherry crouched down, just trying to escape from the entire situation, but powerless to get out of the library. These two powerful bookends leave us with the (true) interpretation that this is one scenario you never truly leave.