FACES
A review by Aaron Barrocas


"Faces"

Picture an adult who doesn’t feel comfortable in their own skin. The person in the mirror is not the person they are. In the reflection is a confident, powerful being. This couldn’t be further from the hurt and vulnerable soul inside the body. The undeveloped emotions do not match their strong physical container, and that combination is extremely dangerous.

This is the premise of Blake Simon’s newest short, Faces, which premiered at Fantasia 2024. It comes on the heels of his multi-fest award-winning short film Red Velvet, as Blake continues to showcase his talent as a genre filmmaker. Produced by Liz Holland and Jared Selcer, Faces unquestionably earns its spot at one of the top genre fests in the world.

Threatening shapeshifters are something horror audiences are very familiar with. A creature who looks like somebody you know, but isn’t that person. Faces explores this idea from the perspective of the shapeshifter. While we usually imagine the soul-stealing monster to be a powerful evil, this movie gives its entity a very human face. Several, in fact - but all somehow taken in the earnest hopes of living up to the person that face represents. Such earnest hopes, in fact, that rejection can be devastating. This is a movie about identity, self-image, and the mirror of others’ perception through which we view ourselves.

Cailyn Rice and Ethan Daniel Corbett carry the weight of the film’s themes powerfully, as their characters transition from young adults living a mundane life, into an eager hopeful who wants nothing more than to belong in that world. Corbett has perhaps the meatiest role, and one that could have been approached in many ways. His choices are bold, leaving certain images very clearly imprinted on the viewer’s brain.

The movie’s reality-grounded concepts, as well as the fantastical horror that accompanies them, are supported by Andrew Fronczak’s cinematography, as each frame is filled with carefully considered contrast while the camera actively communicates the story to us.

Daniel Ciurlizza’s contributions as composer add to the surreality, tension, and sadness of Faces. The creature cannot use its own words, so at times, the score must speak for it, and this is done quite successfully through music that occasionally dominates, and in other moments blends with the on-screen action so thoroughly that it all but disappears.

Brent Mason’s production design - which included the development of the entity’s home – adds immeasurable value to the viewer’s experience. From its introduction in the first act, this lair suggests years of pain, and gives as much information about our character as the character’s own actions.

The end result of this collaboration of talented artists is a memorable, frightening, and at times heartbreaking short film that is certain to bring attention to its creators.



Aaron Barrocas is an award-winning screenwriter, filmmaker, and editor living in Los Angeles. He has spent the past 25 years as an active part of the entertainment industry. AaronBarrocas.com.