Rope (2010) User Reviews

Rope, Suit, Park, Hang and a Dog

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 10 August 2010]

A methodic young man (Jason Britt) is felling like his life has been snatched from him and plots a scheme to commit suicide. In a confused state of mind, he drives his car to a park wearing a suit and having a rope in his hands. He parks his car, and while preparing the gallows in a tree and checking his watch, he repeats many time the sequence of words "- rope, suit, park, hang" in his thoughts as if it was a check list for committing suicide. However a dog may change his fate...or not.

"Rope" is a bleak, dramatic and unpleasant short about suicide. The screenplay is very well written and is capable to develop in four minutes running time that the character might have had a breakdown and his thoughts are messy indicating that he really needs psychological assistance. Further, his sketch in the agenda with the steps to commit suicide indicates that he is a methodic and organized man even in an irrational moment. The cinematography, camera work and angles and soundtrack are stylish indicating that the Canadian director and writer Ian Clay has potential for a promising career ahead. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): Not available.

A remarkable achievement

[howard.schumann · 9/10 · 10 August 2010]

A young man, mechanically repeating the mantra "rope, suit, park, hang" embarks on a journey to a wooded area with the intention of ending his life. Although there is no clear indication of what the circumstances may have been that led him to this moment, he does explain that his wife's car is in pieces. "She's in pieces," he says. His concentration is broken, however, by the appearance of a dog. The dog, a recent rescue from a Los Angeles shelter, may or may not thwart his intention but is enough to halt his obsessive dialogue.

Backed by an outstanding score by Jose Villalobos who also worked on the score for "The Kite Runner", Rope is directed by Ian Clay and aided by a standout performance by Jason Britt and stunning cinematography inspired by Wong Kar-wai. This short four-minute film is haunting, though-provoking, filled with mystery and humanity and is a remarkable achievement.

Intrigues Within It's Short Running Time

[Matt_Layden · 7/10 · 18 August 2010]

Rope, no not the classic Alfredy Hitchcock film, but a short about a man who must make a life changing decision with a piece of rope, is a mere 4 minutes long. Is that enough time to engage the audience, tell a good story and let the viewer be absorbed in the filmmaking aspect of it?

Rope is done very well for a film shot, directed and written by the same man, Ian Clay. The film has a rough and tough vibe to it that in some strange way connects with the character who is at a crossroad in his life. It's dark subject matter and the film doesn't look clean and pretty. It works for it rather than against it.

Great music that heightens the tension and pulls the viewer in. You can have a crappy looking film and people will still enjoy it, but if it sounds like crap, people will hate it. The music does it's job of creating a sense of emotion in the viewer as well as hide some obvious dodgy voice over recordings. The voice over is done in a room, it's obvious and should have been hidden better.

The dialogue is repetitive, some of it works some of it doesn't. It's hard to tell a story in under 5 minutes, Clay does it in 4. We get the basic idea of what is going on and why within the dialogue of this guy's head. His constant rambling is nonsensical and at times might make irritate you, but the overall message and theme are all present.

The film is not nicely tight up in a bow, it is left ambiguous. The question you must ask yourself at the end of the film is if you care whether or not this man decides to take his own life or not. If you don't care, the film has failed. If you do care, then it is a success. If you even make a conscience choice of whether or not he dies makes the film a success. When watching the film, you assume it will be left open ended and it is.

For a film on such a small budget and super small crew, I can't really fault it for anything that doesn't look great. The film actually does look good. The writing is good despite some lazy/nonsensical parts and the film is only 4 minutes, so give it a watch. You can spare 4 minutes of your time.

Impressive

[carflo · 9/10 · 23 August 2010]

I am not familiar with the world of "short film." Most of what I have seen is obviously amateur. So I this is my first introduction into the world of serious shorts by a film maker who is obviously not an amateur.

First, the production values (as I call them)were very good. I have seen and even paid to see many movies that were far worse. The lighting, the camera work, the sound were all professional quality. The music was good, very good. I love Villalobos.

Artistically is a quite good. Jason Britt's acting was good conveying his inner pain without any outward histrionics. I especially liked the repetitive dialog interspersed with rambling ambiguous clues about what brought him to this "rope, hang" decision.

And I liked the ambiguous end. Will the voices in his head win or will the dog, representing life, be successful? That is for each of us to decide.

The end of his rope

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 14 August 2010]

We watch a young man driving his car to a park. He has come with all intentions of ending his life. He carries a rope to a selected spot where he plans to do away with it all. Evidently, the time is not right. He keeps looking at his watch that shows it is not quite 10a.m. yet. We can hear what is going on in his mind. His thoughts about the finality of the act he came to do, are mingled with a tragedy in his own life that involved the woman in his life.

The appearance of the dog at the side of the picnic table where he is standing, captures his attention. The man appears to hesitate for a moment. Will he do it? The ambiguous interpretation poses a puzzle for us. There are things unresolved in his head. Could if be that he is not quite ready to kill himself?

The short film, written and directed by Ian Clay, a Canadian filmmaker, is a gripping account of a man facing his own demise. Although it is not made clear, one cannot help but wonder if the man we see is really a victim, or a murderer that finds himself at the end of his own rope.

Jason Britt, as the young man, is intense in his resolve. Although he never speaks, we can see what is going on in his mind by the expressions in his face. Mr. Clay did his own camera work. Jose Villalobos' fine music score works well with the atmosphere it helps to achieve.

Not for everyone, but excellent

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 9/10 · 16 August 2010]

Mr. Clay requested that I watch and review this. We meet a young man, driving to some woods. Once there, he begins to fix up a noose. It is evident that he means to end his life. Suddenly, a seemingly stray dog and he notice each other. Perhaps they even recognize something in one another. Does it take one lost individual to rescue another? This does not supply a final answer. It is ambiguous from start to finish, as it explores the theme of hope in the face of loss. Throughout all of this, we hear the lead's(the only person in front of the camera) monologue. It is disjointed, confusing. He repeats the words "rope, suit, park, hang", over and over. Not because they hold some special, secret meaning... because he knows that if he hesitates in this act of ultimate self-destruction, he may not complete it. And he can't currently imagine wanting to go on. We never determine exactly what has happened... there is a distinct hint, involving the woman of his life. He universalizes his pain. "When they call you... and they *will*...". It is clear that not only does he not feel like there is anything left, he believes that it is a matter of time before we all will. He is at the end, or so he has convinced himself. The acting is impeccable. I am stunned by the scope of the human emotion displayed not only by Jason Britt, no, also by the canine. The sedated score is fitting. This isn't about plot, it's a portrait of a certain state of mind, and as such, it is spot-on. Some will find this to be depressing. I will say that you must look beyond the situation we are witnessing. The message does not hit the viewer over the head. This is filmed and edited brilliantly. Very low-key, and about the mood conveyed. This is currently online, available for free, and I would definitely say that you should spend the four minutes on it if this sounds appealing to you. There is disturbing content in this. I recommend this to everyone who likes psychological shorts. 9/10

"Rope, Suit, Park, Hang"

[jaredmobarak · 8/10 · 11 August 2010]

The beauty of short films from the comfort of your home is the ability to rewatch them with ease. While I'd love to see everything in the confines of a darkened theatre, the image blown up to an overwhelming size so that the cinematography can engulf you, the under ten minute family of cinema doesn't necessarily lend itself well to those conditions. With so little time to tell its story, the short film must pack in detail upon detail, each frame meticulously composed to show the audience exactly what they need to enter the world and comprehend the actions playing out.

Ian Clay's Rope is no different. A deliberate four-minutes of voice-over juxtaposed with a memorable and affecting score by José Villalobos layered over a man, (played by Jason Britt), in the woods—lost and relegated to taking his own life—this film begs for precise attention. I'll admit, after my first go-round, I appreciated the look of the work, the acting, the music, and the economy of information, but I didn't quite know what was happening. Why is this man 'crushed by the unbearable weight of the way things are' as the plot line shares? What is the significance of needing time to be just right, peering at his watch when the nerves of waiting prove daunting? Don't we all have something to live for?

And then I went back to watch it again. As soon as Britt's voice began to speak, I could feel the click of understanding as my internal switch flipped. Those first moments in his car are crucial to going on the journey to oblivion set forth. It was a phone that drove him to the edge of existence, words over a wire bombarding him in sequence to share the news no one ever prepares to hear. You'll put the pieces together later on when, choked up, Britt recalls something broken—shattered remnants of his life forever gone; love taken without notice, so quickly that the world assumes business will go on as usual. His entire being has been planned out, written, checked, and crossed off his daily planner. Ritualized and exacting. One can deal with a canceled meeting or a forgetful client, but this … no one expects an emptiness to rest where once was life.

I'd be doing Clay's well-crafted script a disservice by going into any more detail, risking to ruin the feeling of heartbroken epiphany I discovered in watching the film devoid of preconceptions. His cuts break in staccato with the score—a character in itself, especially with its well timed rests once Britt's mantra is tripped over by the discovery of a visitor watching—and the frame's depth of field keeps what's crucial in focus while leaves or obstacles between remain blurred. There is always an obstruction in the corner, covering a piece of the activity beyond, whether foliage, a tree branch, or the actor's own shoulder and head bent over, hands working with purpose. And Britt himself is fantastic, doing it all with facial expressions, blinking eyes, and twitching cheeks, the voice-over expounding on the actions even though I think it could work silently as well.

Just remember to pay close attention to what's on screen while viewing. Look at the planner for completed tasks or ones that will never be; take notice of the disjointed words, relayed as though in a Beat poem, more coherent and telling than initially assumed; and know what is in focus and what is not. The watch counts down to 10:00, but once it finally arrives, you'll see that while the clock becomes a blur of color, something else has takes over as Britt's main focal point. Hope exists in every second; it's a matter of letting the pain go long enough to see it. Life is all around us.

Through the Eyes of a Dog

[JLRMovieReviews · 10/10 · 11 August 2010]

A young man is seen driving and going over his to-do list, as you hear his inner dialogue. As he crosses off things, you see the last thing: hang. He also has listed things necessary for it. He gets to a secluded section of a park and prepares: getting the rope out of his car, making the noose and tying the rope on a high enough limb on a tree. All the details have been taken care of and much thought has been put into this, as you can tell by the actor's whole body language. He stands on a park bench just below the tree and he waits for the time that he had decided in which to do it: 10 a.m. At the appropriate time, he'll step off the bench.

From his on-going inner dialogue, we learn his wife or girlfriend was in a horrific car accident and he is totally out of control and not thinking straight. He keeps repeating like a broken record his steps to take in going through with suicide. The pace of his words along with the score of this is very unnerving. And, his mood gets darker and darker. He is completely absorbed, when a little dog comes up upon him. The young man becomes aware of the dog and maybe wonders where did he come from, as he didn't see him there.

We then see the young man not as a fellow human being with problems, but as the dog sees him. This man, this person, who looks silly and strange up there. The dog's presence make the young man feel humiliated to be seen like this, and one can only imagine what the dog's thinking.

"What are you doing there?" As he sees the situation, maybe he figures it out. 'Is it worth it, what you're doing? Is is really the only way out. Please, please don't."

The director allows the young man to see outside himself, by introducing the dog and thus giving him insight that maybe this isn't the right thing to do.The young man's senses heighten as he sees the pitiful dog before him, with its pleading eyes. A rush of mixed feelings come to the pinnacle. All of this in a matter of two or three minutes leading up 10 a.m.

The footage compiled of the dog and its reaction is very absorbing and compelling, as I had to see the last minute of this several times. It conveys the connection between the two in such a short amount of time. Kudos to director Ian Clay and the actor in this short film, that says much about life, our choices and never losing hope. At the last moment, you think you see some semblance in the young man's expression, that he's contemplating.... And, the dog is wagging his tail.

Well made but quite grim...

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 9 August 2010]

This is the second film I recall having reviewed for a young film maker, Ian Clay--the first being "Absent". Often after reviewing a short by a rising film maker, I get emails asking me to watch and review other films by them as well--and this was the case with "Rope".

This is the sort of film that many, I am sure, would find unpleasant. It's about a guy who is going to hang himself! And, what I found interesting about this was how disjoint and confused his narration is as you see him working up to the ultimate deed. That's because people usually do NOT kill themselves when they are thinking clearly and rationally--and this man certainly is not. It captured this mental disintegration well and technically it was a well made film--showing the people who made it are quite skilled and have a very professional film. I really thought it was visually striking and the sedate sound track really worked well. But, as the subject is suicide, it's probably not for everyone! But it sure is a good showcase for talent and I look forward to seeing more from these folks.

Great Short Film Leaves You Hanging

[WriterDave · 8/10 · 26 August 2010]

Like the best short stories, the best short films are compact, compelling and open-ended. "Rope" - at a tight four minutes - is one such film.

Writer/director Ian Clay makes great use of voice-over narration to bring the audience inside the fractured and troubled internal monologue of a man planning to hang himself. Polished editing and sound design techniques (reminiscent of early Nolan films) highlight the story. There's a bit of mystery (a reference to a girl...and an accident perhaps?) and a surprising visit by a dog in the end...leaving us to wonder...will he or won't he?

For a short film done on the cheap, "Rope" has solid production values and leaves a lasting impression on the viewer.

heavy-handed subject gets handled originally.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 17 August 2010]

It's of course incredibly hard to really tell a story in a short that only lasts 4 minutes. It's important to have a real strong concept and premise but before you can get things developed you also need to wrap up things again. In other words, it's often harder to come up with a good short than actually one that lasts between 10 and 30 minutes, or so.

Having a good and above all an original idea and approach is already half the work. And I feel that this movie picked a good approach to things. This movie is certainly an unique and good watch, due to its approach. It's a visually strong movie, that only features narration and no actual dialog. There's even only just one character in the entire movie, not counting in the dog. It has narration throughout its entire movie but it are still the images that tell most of the story.

And it's a real good thing that this film has visuals that speak for themselves, fore the story itself isn't really self explanatory, at least not in the way it gets handled in this movie. It's a quite heavy-handed subject and story, that gets told rather confusingly and just in parts. I do know this was intentionally, since the story gets told from the mind of our protagonist, who is obviously confused, full with emotions and thoughts and is about to end to his life but that doesn't really make this movie that pleasant to follow, due to its storytelling. You can also perhaps say that its being a bit too grim. But this can only be a complaint for some of its viewers. It's just a personal thing for everyone that is not saying anything about any of its artistic and film-making qualities, since this was something intentional.

Seems a bit odd though that for a movie in which the narration plays such an important role they couldn't get some better equipment, or studio, for the recording of its dialog. It just sounds a bit muffled. The music on the other hand sounded great and the musical score fitted the movie real nice.

Perhaps you can say, that at least to me, I liked this short more for its style than its actual substance but for those who like to read a bit more into movies and get into really get into a characters mind, this is simply a great movie.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Engaging, well delivered and avoids being obvious or pretentious throughout

[bob the moo · 11 October 2010]

I watched New York I Love You the other night and Rope was the next film I came to. Rope may be a short film but then in fairness NY I Love You is just a series of vignettes so in principle just lots of short films. The full film was so pretentious that it soured by view slightly and when I came to Rope, the style and narration made me think "here we go again – more supposed depth and complexity thrust upon me with no basis". Credit then to Rope that what I was waiting for never came because it never felt pretentious or unnatural.

This is despite the nature of the narration being arch and the rhythm of it being typically "short film" rather than traditional narrative of feature films. However it makes everything clear to the viewer and it does it really well. The words tell us what happened to the young man in the park, what it did to him emotionally and why he has come to this place. It does this by adding to the determined mantra that he is saying to himself in ways that make things clear with minimal fuss. The performance from the lone actor also does the job. Without words he could have hammed it up or overplayed every little thing but he generally doesn't do this and, importantly, he is convincingly natural – I didn't think I was watching someone act so much as watching the character, which is how it should be.

The direction is good. The shot selection and framing is clever and inventive but not to the point where it becomes the film. It can be tempting with shorts to use them as a showcase (which of course they are) and I have seen films that have been detracted from because of the director wanting to show their stuff visually in a way that really doesn't benefit the specific film at that time. Clay doesn't do that – although I did like the look of the film throughout. Rope is a strong little short film. It has a serious subject and it delivers its personal situation very well, keeping us engaged and close to the character and letting us understand him without being pretentious or spoon-feeding the viewer. Well worth a look.

Well crafted short w/echoes of Poe & Bearce

[george.schmidt · 12 August 2010]

Well crafted short about the loss of hope and the hope for a new beginning is palpable with some great editing - intimate, tight close ups,and a very immediate, visceral feel throughout. Short films always intrigue me and how a filmmaker manages to convey so much in so little time ; truly fascinating. Ian Clay, the film's director, allows enough tension and information about his seemingly dooemed protagonist, with his funereal appearance, but also lets the viewer feel the tautness of the rope around his neck (no mean feat!) There are echoes even of Poe and Ambrose Bearce's AN OCCURRENCE AT OWL CREEK BRIDGE - a tinge of the supernatural - but altogether original and compelling to its very (hopeful) end. *** out of 4 *s