The Devils Harmony (Dylan Holmes Williams, 2019): UK

Reviewed by Ethan Messecar. Viewed at AFI Fest 2019.

As a short filmmaker, I was excited to have a chance to see some of the standouts of this year. AFI’s short film #3 program was filled to the brim with interesting and original new voices in the indie filmmaking scene, however to me the big stand out was by far Dylan Holmes William’s 15 minute short film “The Devil’s Harmony.” 

The short follows British high schooler Kiera (Patsy Ferran), social outcast of a mysterious acapella group. Kiera is mocked and bullied by every jock in school, but not without getting her revenge. Every night she and the acapella group go out and find a new jock to sing into a never ending slumber. Kiera’s lets her guard down a little when her ex-boyfriend and jock Kornitzer, tells her he wants to leave the jocks, get back together with her, and join the acapella group. Now Kiera must decide if she’s going to help save Kornitzer or send him to sleep along with the others . . . the film also becomes a musical in the third act.

On paper this sounds like the plot of a bad Disney channel movie, however one gets the sense that the filmmakers are completely aware of this and, rather than attempting to ignore the teenage melodrama of it all, embraces the somewhat silly aspects of it’s plot. This creates a mise-en-scène that can only be described as giddy, taking joy in transplanting a Lifetime original movie into a horrific “Black Mirror” or “Twilight Zone” esque scenario. While there is tension, it’s still a thriller, the dry British comedy element helps to elevate the material into a quirky story that younger horror fans would love to sink their eyes into. I know I would have.

All of the actors perform their lines with either deadpan non-chelance or somewhat empty worry, seeming to emulate performances in Yorgos Lanthimos’s “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” and “Dogtooth.” Matching this is a monochrome color pallet and flat production design, evoking the meticulous production designs of Roy Anderson’s “Songs from the Second Floor,” lending to a detached yet dread induced feeling.

While this may be one of the more mainstream pieces to come out of the festival, for me it may be the most satisfying, solely for the enthusiasm displayed in the filmmaking alone. Most of all, this film showcases a filmmaking voice that is just as unique as it is talented and far beyond ready to make the jump to features. This short is inspiring and a must watch for filmmakers or anyone that loves a unique horror tale.