The bad things in bedtime stories [The Stolen Wings]
A wizard tries to unleash stolen magic in Stolen Wings. ©2009 Arcadia Video
In the short film, The Stolen Wings, directed by Gerard Lough, a babysitter tells a bedtime story to a little girl who refuses to go to sleep.
The babysitter (Natasha O’Brien) tells her story in the sing-song rhyming pattern of many children’s poems. The fact that O’Brien has an Irish accent adds to the fairy tale quality of her story.
But as the story is spoken, the imagery that plays out is anything but childlike. Coupling live action with some nifty in-camera techniques (such as stop motion and light painting), this fairy tale takes a turn (as many do) that is dark and foreboding.
Complementing the story is an outstanding music track by Cian Furlong. The dreamy, fairy tale quality in the music is a perfect counterpoint to the not-so-innocent scenes being played out on the screen.
And while the story itself is a pretty rhyme, the short film itself lacks the same completeness that the fairy tale has. Instead, it teases the viewer with what I felt was an unsatisfactory conclusion. One could argue that the director has left us wanting more, but the story seems to end suddenly. Is it a hint of more to come or just a story left unfinished?
The production values of this film are about on par for a short film on a small budget. The sound quality with the actors is inconsistent, and the lack of quality lighting affects some of the storytelling. But, all in all, it’s a nice piece.
Stolen Wings also stars Michael Parle and Sasha Phillips.
You can view the short film for yourself on YouTube (see below). Check it out and let me know what you think of it in the comments section.
very good for what it is, great scoring and effects, pity about the sound quality.
Very good for a small budget piece, agree with the reviewer 100% though; it ended short of a satisfactory conclusion. I disagree with the reviewer about the “Irish accent” adding to the fairytale! I found the actress to have an offputting voice, I don’t know if thats her natural accent or if she was directed to do so, but it grated on me. The little girl was the most natural child actress I’ve seen in a long time, very refreshing. All in all another quality piece of work from Mr. Lough.