Prognosis

Director - Michelle Sabato
Starring - B.J. Colangelo (Eat It Up) and Kayla McDonald (Captain American: The Winter Soldier)
Release Date - 2015
Genre - Thriller
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     A few weeks back I became friends with director Zach Shildwachter of Sickening Pictures.  I met him after sharing a picture of the beautiful Haley Madison on Facebook from the film Scarewaves.  He informed me that he worked with her on his indie comedy Eat It Up.  We spoke about the film and he told me about a short he planned on releasing July 7th.  That short was titled Prognosis and he was kind enough to send it my way.  The short was directed by Michelle Sabato and starred B.J. Colangelo and Kayla McDonald.  It runs for about 3 minutes with the ending credits included.  Thanks Zach for letting me check it out!

     The short follows a young girl who is visiting a therapist to spill her guts.  She tells the therapist what truly bothers her and reveals that the therapist had actually done something to upset the young girl prompting her to deal with it the only way she knows how.

     I love reviewing shorts especially when they have a strong story and use their time wisely.  Some shorts start off on the right foot and keep a solid pace while telling a full story in a short amount of time all while holding the viewer's attention while others waste what little time they have.  Prognosis does not waste time and gets straight into the story which is what all shorts have to do if they want to be worth a damn.  The acting in this one is a little one sided but perfect.  Kayla McDonald has just one job and that is to sit still and not move.  She accomplished just that.  However, B.J. Colangelo is the main focus of the short and does an amazing job.  She holds the entire story with just her dialogue and does an amazing job.  This film honestly hinges on her performance.  The story for this one is well played but you see the twist coming a mile away.  The film is very predictable especially with the short's running time.  This twist would not have been so noticeable if the short was just a little longer and maybe had a little more something added to the story itself.  Finally, the short does not have any on screen deaths but we do have a death that involves a slit throat.  The effects are very minimal and do not drive the kill home for the viewer.  With that being said, this is not your typical horror short.  Instead, it is a dark thriller that thrives on story and not gore.  Overall, Prognosis is a beautifully shot short with some great images and a great performance from B.J.  Sadly, the story is very predictable.  Check it out, it at least deserves one watch.