There is almost nothing as insidious as the feeling of regret. It creeps in when you least expect it, when you’re at your weakest. It has strong and controlling allies like grief and anguish. Regret presses on the bruise of an already deep wound. What would your regret look like if you had to give it a face?

After Wayne’s (Brent Skagford) father passes away, he’s left adrift in a sea of grief. He chooses to power ahead with work and life, and even goes as far as saying he’s too busy to attend the funeral. He travels for work, it would be too big of a hassle, surely his family would understand. He has an uncomfortable call with his sister, but puts that from his mind by watching old home videos of him with his father. He presses on his workmates and boss that he doesn’t require any special treatment, that he wants his work schedule to remain the same. As he’s heading to bed, far too late (actually in the wee hours of the morning) he receives a disturbing phone call from his mother. Wayne is about to face his deepest fears, and more importantly, face the pain inside himself.

REGRET takes a dark turn, and we as the audience are just as shocked as Wayne is. Impeccable editing and tricks of the camera will set you on edge as you watch Wayne cope with the deepest, darkest feelings inside of him. The stark isolation of a lonely hotel room is the perfect stage for Wayne’s anxieties and feelings of remorse. The physical manifestation of Wayne’s regrets will haunt you as it does him.

A remarkable score by Brian D’Oliviera is truly the highlight of this piece. Not overwrought, not predictable, and walking the tightrope between drama and horror, D’Oliviera’s score perfectly embodies everything REGRET is, and wants to be. In a world where even the highest budget blockbuster films can have mediocre or repetitive scores, it’s nice to have something as unique and pivotal to the storytelling as this.

REGRET is a delicious slow burn, with layers of pathos. Skagford’s performance carries the weight of REGRET both reluctantly and caringly, simultaneously both subtle and overt, within and without. The symbolism of this film is remarkably portrayed, heart wrenching, and solemn. REGRET is a perfect picture of remorse and guilt, both the real feelings and the tricks our minds can play.

Thanks to SXSW and Mailchimp, you can view the short HERE.

7/10 stars