REVIEWS

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Directed by William Stancik / Reviewed by Riya Saha

Booth features the story of John Wilkes Booth 5th! The film is set in 1963; Texas while he was writing a book about his misunderstood ancestor John Wilkes Booth the 1^st. Booth reveals some of the facts that took place around the time of the JFK assassination. John Wilkes Booth, (born May 10, 1838, near Bel Air, Maryland, U.S.—died April 26, 1865, near Port Royal, Virginia), is a member of one of the United States’ most-distinguished acting families of the 19th century and the assassin who killed Pres. Abraham Lincoln.

In the film John Wilkes is engrossed in a discussion with his neighbor about cherry ice cream and how killing Lincoln may have been an unfortunate error in judgment.  Alex Wood plays Booth and J. Gabriel Wagner is Oswald keeps discussing how much the Russians love Lincoln and that he would have made a great communist had he not been assassinated. But as the descendent of the booth, he wishes that his ancestor would be recalled for his acting skills and not as the assassin of the president. The movie is a treat to watch it, has funny elements which will surely make you laugh. The short film Booth directed by William Stancik has a very gripping storyline, and it seems that the characters in this film made it all the more entertaining. The chemistry between both the actors is brilliant. They have managed to stay in character and kept the mysteries intact throughout the film.

The mystery as well as the funny element in the film gets heightened when Joe Zumba (Agent Sikes) arrives at Booth’s door of Oswald. He has questions about Booth’s neighbor, Oswald. "I'm Agent Sikes, I'm with the government. I'm an actor. I was just rehearsing." "Are you leaving for Hollywood?" "No." "What about your neighbor? Is he going to Hollywood?" "I don't think he's going to Hollywood or anywhere else. Is going to Hollywood a problem?" It’s just the most ridiculous conversation done with totally serious delivery. It seemed to me like something serious is happening but the questions are so uncanny that the audience keeps wondering what is exactly happening. Booth's conscience wrestles with Lincoln’s assassination. In a nightmare, he receives a visit from the dead president (played by Bennie Ruckum) and they debate over what a "Pussy Willow" his great relative was. He believes their dispute should have been settled with fisticuffs. There is an amazing scene with Lincoln showing his fight moves. The audio setting is in absolute sync with the visual elements and kudos to the funny element in the William Stancik film. The storyline is so much gripping along with acting of the actions you can ignore all other factors. Of course, the beauty of Texas taken as the establishment shot will make you fall for the beauty of the state. I believe the movie was beautifully picturized keeping in mind all the factors that are essential to creating the film. Surely Booth is an award-winning short film!