Wounds of Misery (2011)

Wounds of Misery is a different type of film compared to what I usually review. It's an independent film by fellow reviewer and aspiring film maker Thomas Pollock, who runs his own review site as http://filmmasterjournal.blogspot.com. The official summary:
Alexander is a 14 year old boy who is abused by family and bullied in his school. His depression grows stronger and the melancholy and anger builds up inside him. He has now questioned living.
It's an interesting decision to not actually show the bullying, but really the effect it has. This strengthens the actual film, as we are not subjected to the typical bullying fare we see and deem as being generic and by the numbers.

The acting isn't going to win any awards, but Thomas isn't doing this with a goal of winning awards, but to show how bullying can affect a person, not just physically, but also mentally, and in this retrospect, he manages to pull it off well.

 One thing I did notice is how unafraid Thomas is to show off his chest, putting the rest of us older people to shame. But I suppose, as the saying goes, if you've got it, flaunt it.

With Alexander, we are only told of him that his mother is dead and that he is bullied, not much else, I mean, he doesn't even speak during the running time. The summary says family bullies him, but that's the only indication we actually get that he also gets a hard time from family. Not getting us to know Alexander apart from the few things I listed above makes me not really connect with the main character, but that isn't a weakness, as the video description clearly states this short independent film is a message about how bad bullying and abuse are. And by not connecting with the main character, he strengthens this claim by making the short feel like a study into the effects bullying has upon a person.

For a first time film maker, Thomas Pollock does show quite some promise, and he quite impresses with this short, self-contained film and I look forward to seeing what else he will come out with.

If you wish to see the actual 11 minute film for yourself, I have provided a link for it below. Enjoy. And subscribe to his Youtube channel if you like his stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZY9ysJfTPk&feature=youtu.be

Comments

Sara C said…
Great review James! I agree, our young Thomas has got so much potential!!
Matt Stewart said…
Haha I must see this!!
Jeff SC said…
Much like how I have avoided most of the reviews I see posted, I never got around to watching this either. Which is pretty crappy of me, considering how great Thomas is about giving me feedback on all of my stuff :( Thanks for reminding me that I need to watch it!