Jarno Lee Vinsencius’ 'The Madame in Black' is like a great book in which the stories collide and are mix-matched until you reach the final page and everything makes sense… or so you thought! It is very interesting to find a short movie that can give the viewer goosebumps and also be very well structured, with all its layers nicely put together like in a cake…a creepy yet fascinating cake.

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One thing that was kind of a turn off whilst watching 'The Madame in Black' was the constant shady atmosphere that predicted the forthcoming events. From the first scene we could see candles, smoke, dim lights, predominant grey and black decorations, elements that were thoroughly going to a horror movie. The moonlight seen from outdoor was so amazingly bright it indicated something really nasty. Although these elements were a little bit too obvious, they were part of the charm; the whole story would have been less dramatic without them.

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One amazing fact about this short was the omnipresence of symbols, symbolic elements and key phrases. The first one we spotted was the mirror, and not just any mirror, but a mirror with a great back-story. It is said that the mirror lived in that family from generation to generation, but at some point it got lost. Alex takes it back after some time and gives it to his sister as a present. In folk tales, the mirror is one of the most powerful instruments for the mystique forces; it is not actually the mirror per se, but the things that can reflect a certain reality. In 'The Madame in Black' reflection and self-reflection are representing the core of the story: there are moments when the viewer doesn’t know where he is, but as the story goes by things are getting clearer. As a film director, Jarno Lee Vinsencius managed to create a thrilling yet impressive fictional world that is worth your time. If you want a surprising and twisted short, this is the one!

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Written by Vlad A. G