Most short films I've seen only have one good idea. In fact, too many feature films only have one idea, and would be better as shorts. This might be one of the only shorts that I thought could be expanded into an effective feature.
The film works a bit like a play, with three central characters talking over a situation, which happens to be the financial trouble of one man's farm. He is at risk of losing it to the bank, and an enigmatic accountant shows up with all the answers. He seems to know the ins and outs of everything, and begins to convince the men that to save their land, they have to burn the farm down for the insurance claim. When he suggests that they also murder the man's wife for the life insurance, they have a hard time getting on board. So the guy ends up killing himself and leaves the farm to his brother, who will have insurance money from the death (made to look like a farm accident). By this time in the movie, the Accountant's schtick is wearing a little thing. You start to want him to give a straight answer, rather than his know it all sarcasm. Because the ending bottomed out a bit, in my opinion, I can only give it a 6. However, some of the ideas brought up--about the repression of the independent man and the southern way of life--could have been explored more fully, which is why I say I'd like to have seen this done as a feature.
The film works a bit like a play, with three central characters talking over a situation, which happens to be the financial trouble of one man's farm. He is at risk of losing it to the bank, and an enigmatic accountant shows up with all the answers. He seems to know the ins and outs of everything, and begins to convince the men that to save their land, they have to burn the farm down for the insurance claim. When he suggests that they also murder the man's wife for the life insurance, they have a hard time getting on board. So the guy ends up killing himself and leaves the farm to his brother, who will have insurance money from the death (made to look like a farm accident). By this time in the movie, the Accountant's schtick is wearing a little thing. You start to want him to give a straight answer, rather than his know it all sarcasm. Because the ending bottomed out a bit, in my opinion, I can only give it a 6. However, some of the ideas brought up--about the repression of the independent man and the southern way of life--could have been explored more fully, which is why I say I'd like to have seen this done as a feature.