Sundance Film Festival Reviews: Chapel Perilous

“What did I just watch?” immediately comes to mind when the credits roll on Chapel Perilous. At approximately 13 minutes long, the YouTube short film baffled audiences at the Sundance Film Festival this past weekend and received the YouTube Audience Award. We sat down to see what all the fuss was about, and we can sincerely say that, well, Chapel Perilous is nothing, if not peculiar.Chapel Perilous can be defined as a psychological state in which an individual cannot be certain whether they have been aided or hindered by some force outside the realm of the natural world. This enigmatic film posed more questions than answers and left us scratching our heads.The short begins with the introduction of one of three characters—an eccentric man by the name of Robin. He approaches a house and offers to change the owner Levi’s life. This concise and awkward conversation sets the gears of the short in motion.Teeming with symbolism and religious allusion, Chapel Perilous is expertly crafted to invoke a sense of mystery and intrigue in it’s viewers. It’s so intricate in fact, that on first watch, most of the nuances and subtleties went right over our heads. It wasn’t until our second view that we had even begun to grasp the notions and underlying themes within the seemingly benign interactions. Even after a third watch, we’ve merely managed to scrape the surface of this elegantly presented metaphor.Chapel Perilous, though short, boasts an impressively professional finish to it. From special effects to lighting, the crew’s attention to detail is what allows the provocative premise on which this movie is based to come to life. Throughout the movie, the cinematography deftly directs the viewer’s eyes towards important “puzzle pieces” that tease at the broader scope behind the film. The grade-A makeup and editing ties together to make this fine-tuned film stand out amongst its competitors.Though the technical skill involved in the production of this piece is unparalleled, the caliber of acting is truly what makes this movie shine. The actors’ raw ability to perform incites an organic feeling in the film like no other. The three, nearly comically, distinct personalities contrast in such a way to provoke a sense of surrealness. The abrasive nature of the three personalities casts an ominous vibe over the otherwise brightly lit scenes, a particularly difficult task managed with ease.So, if you’ve got some spare time, and you want to watch something that will leave you confused, mystified and a little bit scared, try and find Chapel Perilous on YouTube. You probably won’t regret it. Probably.