• Release year: 2025
• Director: Jessica Benhamou.
• Producers: Jessica Benhamou, Adam Etherington, and Talia Burrows.
• Screenplay by: Jessica Benhamou.
• Cinematography by: Adam Etherington.
• Music by: Hollie Buhagiar.

Shotgun Commentary: gorgeous piece full of intensity and power.

Review

Alchemy of the Word tells the story of two men who love each other at a time when love between people of the same gender was cause for ostracism from society. So… not too different from now, sadly.

The toxicity in the city

We know very little of writers Arthur (James Craven) and Paul (Jordan Luke Gage), other than the fact that the first is married and has left his family out of love for the second, and he can’t write any more, apparently. The couple go through a journey of love, hate and desperation in which they eat fish, live in poor conditions, and slowly lose grip of their sanity.

The story itself is quite simple, except for the parts in French that don’t have subtitles. Why a film in English would put subtitles for the English dialogues but not the French is beyond me, but hey, most productions would kill to have that as their only setback.

Craven and Gage deliver great performances, filling the story with soul and passion. Due to the bold light configuration, it does get hard to distinguish who is who from time to time, but one can eventually catch up after a few seconds. For a film so sort, it might have been a better choice to make them easier to differentiate, but their acting is so enjoyable that one can hardly complain regardless of the confusion.

The artsy must-have

As for the technical aspects, they are, in close competition with the acting, the strongest selling point of the short. The cinematography is gorgeous, with one clear reference to “Ophelia” by Sir John Everett Millais in the most Melancholia (Lars von Trier, 2011) way possible.

For those of you who are not familiar with the painting or its story, it represents Hamlet’s Ophelia, a woman who is caught up between her loyalty to her father and her love for Hamlet. Much like this character, Arthur find himself caught between his lover and his loyalty to his beliefs, leading also to tragic consequences and a dramatic twist in the writer’s career.

Light, sound, action!

The use of light is a work of art on its own, not only setting the mood, but also anticipating the events to come. There is some pink light in a scene where the characters profess their love to each other that quickly turns into a bright red light that floods their space.

In this particular work, red represents passion. Whether that comes in the form of love, hate, jealousy, rage or madness, that is up to each moment, but you know the tensions are high when the colour appears on-screen.

As for the times when the characters are more calm, the light design and colours vary, although the shadows are significantly less accentuated. There is some greenish grey for the first moment of hope that turns into a cold palette of greys for their dire, daily lives as artists, and finally, there is a beautiful contrast of blue and yellowish orange on a moment of tranquillity and love.

Last but not least, it is relevant to mention that the soundtrack accompanies the tale exquisitely. It enhances the spectator’s feelings, especially the sense of oppression and burden, and finishes off with a gorgeously melancholic track for the credits.

All in all, Alchemy of the Word is a wonderful short worth watching for anyone into artist’s stories, the 1800s aesthetics, and/or bold lighting designs. Its wonderful take on a historical event packs unimaginable amounts of energy and passion that translate into a unique experience for those lucky enough to witness it.

The feature’s premiere will take place at Cinequest the 15th of March. Both actor James Craven and director Jessica Benhamou will be attending the festival.

Advice to take from this movie:

• Don’t try to get someone to stay with you against their will.
• Sadly, if you choose the life of an artist, get ready to starve.
• Homophobia is so two centuries ago, move on, man.

What’s your take? Have you watched Alchemy of the Word? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀