Come Outside
Directed by Sheldon Woodson | Reviewed by Adva Reichman
This film starts off as kind of a love letter to the sun, its unique traits and influence on people’s well-being. Wikipedia defines the sun as “the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy mainly as visible light, ultraviolet light, and infrared radiation. It is by far the most important source of energy for life on Earth.” This echoes tremendously throughout the film and will eventually lead its characters down a risky path.
In the short film ‘Come Outside” we meet a lovely couple and learn about the woman’s unwavering appreciation to the sun. However, an unusaul event changes the vibration of the sun and those who find themselves exposed to its light lose their sanity and transform into zombies.
We discover the dangerous phenomena through a radio message, but it seems like the characters aren’t grasping the seriousness of the warning. At least not at first.
As the woman finds herself exposed, her mind changes, and she is now set on transforming her partner. The film takes a turn, and its twist is very reminiscent of the horror/Sci- fi film ‘Birdbox’ starring Sandra Bullock. The tainted vs the healthy, as the battle to stay safe is on.
Will the woman deceive her partner and lead him outside? Will they both lose themselves in the sun? Or will the man realize the truth in time and fight back?
You’ll have to watch to find out.
The concept of the film is intriguing, and the actors Vanessa Dehesa Woodson and Sheldon Woodson present a sweet chemistry on screen. I do wish the ending would have been developed further, but the overall direction of the film worked. The tense beats and growing drama worked beautifully with the music supplied by Ghosthack, Fesliyan Studios and Woodson’s World music.
The writer, director, Sheldon Woodson, who also edited and produced the film, is a retired military vet from Gary, Indiana with a Master’s degree in Business Management and Bachelor’s in marketing. Woodson is also a published author, having written four books. After focusing on different aspects and acquiring unique life experiences, Woodson states his final focus in life will be writing and directing conscious films under a banner he calls, edutainment.
Can’t wait to see what he does next.
Adva Reichman is an Israeli writer-director based in Los Angeles; her latest film, Something to Live For deals with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and was screened at prestigious festivals. While in Israel, she worked in the Israeli news and on documentaries that revolved around major terror attacks and kidnappings that took place in Israel during the 70’s and 80’s. She is a graduate of the TV & Film Production MFA program at USC School of Cinematic Arts.
