This short film, much like the short story it is based on (“The Open Window” by Saki), is an elegant example of the power of storytelling. What is a quite ordinary afternoon with quite ordinary occurrences is made eerie, even terrifying, by the narrative framework. A story well told changes our perceptions and allows us to see the wonderful or the horrifying within the world around us, even if the story is pure fiction. The actors do an especially fantastic job, particularly Michael Sheen as the poor Mr. Nuttel. The story he tells in every quivering word and wide eyed stare makes us feel acutely poor Mr. Nuttel’s nervousness and eventual shock. It’s an amazing bit of filmmaking.
The Open Doors
Published by eileenmaksym
Eileen Maksym studied philosophy at Yale and theology at Boston College, and now uses both to write science fiction. Currently she is an academic nomad, following her astrophysicist husband around the world, two kids in tow. When not writing or kid wrangling, Eileen is a hopeless fangirl. She can be found on Twitter (@eileenmaksym) squeeing over her favorite shows, most of which involve famous detectives, dashing time travelers, and creatures that are never, ever referred to as zombies. View all posts by eileenmaksym
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