Final Review

Mae Webb, Imogen Salmon, Candice Tyson and Charlotte Hudson bring us their second offering for the silver screen. With a crew of four directors, having too many cooks could have made this a recipe for disaster. The coming together of so many contrasting and contradictory opinions and perspectives could have resulted in a tragic final product. However, fortuitously for them, the outcome is a positive one and it is, if anything, clear evidence of their ever growing maturity and confidence behind the camera. With the success of their previous feature Perception, we expect great things from these aspiring directors.
Who would have thought the ‘green-eyed monster’ could lead to such catastrophic consequences. The heart-stopping thriller False Witness is a short film based on the psychological and physical effects of bullying, through words and actions, recounted through the eyes of an adolescent. The statement ‘keep your friends close and your enemy’s closer’ couldn’t be more appropriate as the film recounts the unravelling and deteriorating relationship between two teenagers over time.
This is unknown actors Phoebe Richardson and Megan Harman’s first showing on the big screen. These directors definitely have a track record for this type of risk taking after their collaboration with Gabriella Martorana, also a newcomer, in last year’s Perception. This risk certainly paid off after her strong performance, landing them with glowing reviews. Using this technique again, Richardson and Harman succeed in giving a very realistic, true to life, spine-tingling portrayal of teenage bullying taken too far. Richardson plays ‘Rebecca’, a power-mad teenager, whose jealousy finally drives her to the extreme, leaving her ‘best friend’ Louise, played by Harman, in mortal danger. This is every parent’s worst nightmare – an unsuspecting, naïve and forgiving daughter who becomes the victim of an abusive and controlling psychopath. 
Through a combination of intelligent lighting, skilful directing and powerful camerawork, directors succeed in constructing a truly heinous and spiteful character. Through the use of ingenious narrative structure, we see the contradictory parallel unfolding of events past and present. We are given an insight into Rebecca’s mind revealing the lies of this ‘false witness’. This enables the audience to grasp the magnitude of Rebecca’s deceit and manipulation, and has them yelling at the screen.
Clever use of unrestricted narration throughout the film places the audience firmly on Louise’s side. The constant betrayal by her ‘supposed’ best friend, the wider sense of moral outrage and the consequent failing of the justice system are all too much to stomach. The film highlights how lies can facilitate avoidance of punishment and resembles recent real-life cases where murderers have walked free, again with deadly consequences. 
It’s a captivating message for the most part and the directors have managed to depict a spiteful relationship at its worst. Aside from the occasional flaw and a few poor casting choices, the end product does hold together and you have to admire these directors for attempting to weave together such an intricate, complex and dark trail of events.