Written and directed by Spencer Anderson, co-written by Jamie Brown, Carla makes a fateful discovery that turns her whole world upside down mere hours before she and her partner Clay are about to commit armed robbery. Starring: Yazzmin Newell, Samuel Lawrence, Ayesha Sharma, Freddie McDonnell, Tatyana Danova and Jo Barnard.
Spencer Anderson kicks Rock-a-bye off with an enticing atmosphere layered with suspicion and foreboding, leaving you wary of what’s to come. There’s a growing tension built into the tone of the short which easily pulls you in. Anderson’s directorial style is directly linked to those qualities, it develops gradually, there’s an interesting mix of observational and intimate. It keeps a little bit of distance but it’s always clear that Anderson is giving viewers the story through Carla’s (Yazzmin Newell) perspective.
A story which nicely uses its runtime, the pacing is right where it needs to be to feel like it’s constantly progressing, measured and never rushing. Rock-a-bye’s tone and progression are also well complimented by the score, there’s a thoughtful hand to use it sparingly. It takes its time, then comes in when it can be the most effective.
The plot is solid work but there are a few elements that don’t click as strongly. The relationship between Carla and Clay (Samuel Lawrence) isn’t as clearly defined as hoped. It has room for interpretation even though it feels like it should be cut and dry, especially with how Rock-a-bye ultimately plays out.
It’s something that feeds into both a positive and a tricky point with Rock-a-bye, there are a lot of unspoken deeper issues beneath the story. Particularly when it comes to mental health, and these are great additions, they add to the tone and character development, but it needed that definitive perspective of this relationship to make them land harder.
That’s then reflected with the ending which has a surprisingly light touch, with a sweetness that doesn’t entirely match the tense nature of the short. It feels unexpectedly conventional and undercuts the existing tone rather than ending on a satisfying, swift punch. However, the performances are nicely consistent throughout.
Yazzmin Newell creates a perfectly conflicted and scrambling quality to Carla. She’s on edge and using that classic downplay of intelligence and capability to conceal her larger intentions. Newell also makes her incredibly relatable and sympathetic, it’s easy to jump on board behind her. Especially when Samuel Lawrence does so well at ticking those selfish, coercive boxes to quickly establish the ugly, greedy nature of his character.
Rock-a-bye is a tense and entertaining adventure. There’s a gradual, growing nature to the way that it moves, much like Carla, plotting its next steps. Spencer Anderson’s direction does well to match that, and along with subtle, thoughtful editing work from Lydia Mannering, to help add in other layers and issues.
Yazzmin Newell leads the way strongly with a sympathetic and intriguingly conflicted portrayal. The only thing holding it back is the few thematic elements which miss out on a bigger punch, not quite matching the great tension that Anderson builds.
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