Short film review: It ends with love

It had its premiere screening at a Write Shoot Cut networking night at the end of last year and is now enjoying a run on the short film festival circuit, ‘It Ends in Love’ is the latest work of Edinburgh-based filmmaker Sean Young. Writing and directing a film that is hard to categorise, the piece crosses genres with ease and expertise to present a romantic drama which implements classic horror movie elements. Ryan John Monaghan and Aynsleigh Turner star as struggling couple Michael and Leah, who are forced to face their complex relationship issues when a mysterious masked man (Manjot Sumal) gets involved. The pair are attacked and kidnapped, finding themselves tied up in an abandoned city flat, and what might have began as a lover’s tiff quickly becomes a matter of life and death.

  A great example of how to tell a big idea story on a small budget, the experimental film efficiently uses claustrophobic camera-work and a chilling piano-laden score to create an intense atmosphere that closes in on Michael and Leah in their hour of need. Monaghan and Turner perform very well working with an emotive script that asks a lot of them as actors, and they offer a sense of realism even when their situation veers into fantasy. In what is a modest running time at just 12 minutes, Young impressively crafts a plot that metaphorically represents the key problems of relationships, particularly for those in their twenties, offering up a visually interesting take on a fractured bond. Dreamy flashback sequences are used to illustrate the boy-meets-girl bloom in the early stages, contrasting with their present terror. A twisted tale of Blue Valentine meets Hostel, ‘It Ends in Love’ is the antidote to romance and a love story to watch through your fingers.

For more information and production stills, visit the film Facebook page!