‘Stuck In The Sand‘ is the kind of short film whose action you have seen somewhere before, but the way it is built gives you the same intensity that you felt at first. Kendall Christianson proves, in fact, through this project, not necessarily the intuition with which he chooses a more or less predictable narrative thread, but his artistic talent through which he keeps his spectators breathless. Thus, the characters that make up this fictional universe are schematically constructed, without a background that would give them some more specific features, primarily based on a classic dichotomy: men vs. women. Feminist stakes are not necessarily a priority in the overall equation of the project, but the director somewhat exploits the war of the sexes against the backdrop of a desert space populated by misogynistic characters. It would be risky to guess on our own what the context behind the events we witness is. It would also be just as difficult to see here a metaphor for women’s emancipation in a world that turns them not only into sexual objects but also into weapons or instruments for monstrous entertainment. Best of all, the action must be received precisely as it is presented – as a bloody episode that, although placed in our present, vaguely recalls the universe of Mad Max.
Two men meet in a deserted place to bet on a fight between two women who are their prisoners. Who are these women, and how did they end up in this situation? We don’t really know. Thus, everything takes the form of a cockfight with human characters, in which women have a choice between obeying or retaliating.
Despite the more or less complex narrative stakes, Kendall Christianson manages to coagulate a coherent and authentic, almost tactile, fictional space that seems to radiate through its colours, beyond the screens, that infernal heat of the desert. Just as the characters are dominated by animal instincts (including those of survival), so the viewer receives everything in a visceral way, according to the dynamism of the action that manages to combine the alertness of events with short moments of drama. This film composition is a great plus and, even if it is not supported by a broader narrative, it certifies the directorial talent of its creator. ‘Stuck In The Sand’ is, therefore, a short film that may not find new ways to approach well-known topics, but it will certainly satisfy the tastes of those looking for a dose of adrenaline.
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