That Doe Zone
2020 · 10m · USA
Directed by Harrison Atkins
Genres: drama, experimental
Tones: contemplative, humorous, surreal
A young woman tells her friend about an unsettling coincidence involving an old photograph, and the film slips sideways from there. Atmosphere does the heavy lifting; narrative just rides shotgun.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
Atkins doesn't bother connecting the dots and I respect the refusal. A short that trusts atmosphere over plot is doing the actual work of cinema.
Atmosphere as primary, narrative riding shotgun is a defensible mode when held by hand as steady as Harrison Atkins's. Lynch with the volume down is exactly that.
Atkins prioritizing mood and texture over comprehension, with deadpan comedy bleeding in where dread should sit, is a register I trust him in. The old-photograph coincidence is a usable hook even with thin summary.
Reviews
Leans heavily on atmosphere and style, over lucidity.