Short film Review | Experience

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An actor struggles with anxiety in Ben Lankester’s short film Experience, which screened as part of HollyShorts London Film Festival.

Ben Lankester’s Experience clocks in at just over two minutes. It’s short and sweet, but the amount of information and emotion Lankester manages to communicate in those two minutes is rather remarkable.

The short focuses on an actor who is preparing for an audition. Auditions can be terrifying; you’re standing under scorching studio lights, someone holds a boom mic over you, the camera’s presence feels intruding and people are watching your every move and listening to every single word you say and how you say it.

Karen Bengo plays the actress who struggles with overwhelming anxiety. She’s due to perform a monologue which hits a little too close to home too, which probably isn’t helping with her nerves and mental health. We watch her practise, memorise her lines, but Lankester aims to allow us a glimpse into the very real experience of anxiety on a different level. Inside Out 2 did an amazing job making the emotion a concept easy to grasp for audiences of all ages, but Lankester really digs into what it feels like.

Read more: Short film review | Calf

Experience isn’t a film with an easy, uncomplicated narrative with a clear conflict and resolution at the end. Instead, Lankester focuses on the visceral feeling of anxiety and how that can be shown visually. As the kids might say, it’s all about the vibes; the vibes here are not just immaculate, but deeply affecting.

Experience screened as part of the HollyShorts London Film Festival 2024.

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