On Friday the 13th, the occult and the supernatural inspire imaginations

Independent short film Flip Side 2 plays at Alta Vista College.

ISLAMABAD:

The audience, comprising mostly college students, watched in silence as the story of a possessed girl unravelled before them on the screen. The independent short film Flip Side 2 was appropriately screened on Friday the 13th.

Intrigued by the dark materials of Stephen King and Steven Speilberg, a young aspiring director Sikandar Usman has attempted to venture into the world of the occult and supernatural. He took up filmmaking at Kuch Khaas last year and shot the film with his handy-cam as the final project. A few weeks back, he put together the prequel, Flip Side 2, which was screened at the Alta Vista College here on Friday.

The film opens with a relaxed cigar smoker (the director himself) narrating the story of a girl Sarah, the protagonist, who is lured by an odd hobby: voodoo and spells. The scene gives the feel of a 1960’s movie. In the next scene, we see her defending her interest in magic to her friend. Her motives are simple: no social life, a broken home with no one really close to confide in, she seeks refuge in experimenting with the precarious medium.

As she delves deeper into the dark art, she finds herself horribly influenced by supernatural beings. This in turn leads to her lashing out at those closest to her and harming everyone in her way. The plot is uncomplicated, however one can’t help but note the resemblance to real life, where confused teenagers resort to crazy ways of trying to identify themselves.

The amateur project has its flaws: shaky camera, echoing voices, slight editing glitches between changing scenes. However, the effort put in by the director and his young cast is commendable. For a zero budget film, it actually managed to send chills down many youngsters’ spines as they watched quietly in the dark room.

The music is perfectly synchronised with the scenes. When someone in the audience asked what made him take up the subject, Usman remarked, “I’m influenced by moviemakers such as Tim Burton. Black magic is something that is prevalent in our society so I wanted to bring that forward but in an entertaining way.”

For someone who has recently taken up filmmaking, the passion is evident, with more skill and experience who knows our city might have a desi Tim Burton on its hands.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th, 2012.