Directed by Can Sağır and written by Erdeniz Tunç, a young man, reeling from the murder of his friend, confronts the facts of what really happened that night. Starring: Cahit Kaşıkçılar, Ahmet Atakul, Serkan Üzüm, Serdar Güven and Berat Aydın.
Using a dual timeline so we’re seeing the impact while we unravel the events can be a strong choice when it comes to thrillers, and it works really well with Shadow of Violence. Another key element, which is often done poorly, is the reveal and Can Sağır and Erdeniz Tunç keep the timing right on the money here. The story as a whole is good work, the only thing that’s missing is a little more time and context given after that reveal to help it land more strongly.
Especially since it feels like there’s a little too much time spent on the opening scene which doesn’t have as much to add, so it could have strengthened Shadow of Violence to dedicate that time to its ending instead. Instead, it’s leaving a few too many questions on the table, although it is still better than simply spoon-feeding the story to viewers. It also might have helped to bring the score in earlier, to build the tension and anticipation more strongly.
The directorial style from Can Sağır is a little rough around the edges to start with but as the story moves into the past, it becomes much stronger. The lighting choices are well done in the night scenes, which is often underestimated and tricky to get right when shooting at night, while still making it feel natural, so it’s excellent work. Sağır also does well to build the tension, it’s a shame the doctor scenes feel overly simple in comparison.
However, keeping it simpler is the reason why the performances work well. There was plenty of opportunity in Shadow of Violence’s tense, dark moments for the actors to really throw themselves into it but thankfully they kept things on a more restrained level. Especially the lead, he does a great job of portraying the wide variety of emotions involved in this story without over-acting. That helps to give him a sympathetic air, the young actors all do well, it’s perhaps only the doctor’s performance which feels slightly stiff.
Shadow of Violence does a lot within the limitations of budget and using a short runtime. The story is well constructed, it perhaps just needed to shorten the beginning and let the crucial scenes play out a little longer to give it a bigger impact. The aesthetic is of a mixed quality, but the night scenes are shot very well. It’s tense and has an interesting coldness to it which works well. Can Sağır and Erdeniz Tunç manage to fit a really great amount of story into this six-minute runtime.
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