2023 HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
Amy (Eleanor Wyld) and Johann (Max Rinehart) are a young couple that has decided together that they don’t want to have kids–it’s just not in the plan for their collective future. However, when Amy accidentally becomes pregnant, a sinister feeling and being overcome her. She’s afraid what will happen if she admits that she’s pregnant, and Gravid is Amy’s uniquely challenging journey through pregnancy.
If you’ve ever seen the film Eraserhead by David Lynch, I can’t imagine that you watch Gravid and don’t see a connection. Viewers see an unexpected pregnancy affect a young couple in an incredibly unique way–but what further connects the films are the visuals. When the baby is finally revealed in Gravid, it’s eerily similar to what viewers saw in Eraserhead, with a few changes. I always found that aforementioned film to be quite interesting, so to be able to revisit it in a way was fun and enjoyable.
Moving on from the comparisons, Gravid etches out a place for itself in horror that has the potential to create something of a cult following. It’s incredibly niche for sure, and there will be a handful of individuals who look at this film and believe it to be quality cinema–but those people exist, and I’m one of them. Viewers have to be willing to accept the incredibly unique way in which Writer-Director Laura Jai Smith navigates this story of pregnancy, and they have to buy in early if they are going to enjoy the rest of the short film. Smith does a great job of setting Gravid up in a way that allows viewers to feel close to the characters. It opens to the young couple laying in bed, seemingly after a night of fun (if you catch my drift). We are invited into their bed, effectively into the arms of Amy as she reaches out to touch Johann. It’s clear that love exists here, and we become part of their bond within the opening seconds. This is so important to the development of the film as a whole. If you can’t buy in at that moment, it will be difficult to play catch up later–but I believe that Smith is successful in ensuring that viewers understand and appreciate the couple in the early going.
Gravid leans heavily into gore (of sorts) to express those horror themes, and it does it well. Not to give too much away, but Amy is plagued by choking, now constantly finding herself struggling to breathe as a result of unknown things. As the film progresses, the things that she pulls from her mouth become more and more graphic, more and more disgusting. It seems that Gravid has the potential to seem somewhat repulsive to viewers as a result, but once they’ve bought in (and if they tend to enjoy horror films) I think some sort of balance is achieved. Viewers are now prepared to stick around and see what happens next–and they are willing to attempt to stomach the well-constructed obstructions blocking Amy’s airway.
It’s always entertaining when such a simple story is layered so well that it contains a deeper meaning, and Gravid has that. The story is incredibly easy to follow, never really forcing viewers to second guess the things that they are seeing on screen, but as they dig deeper they are forced to think about the implications of what Smith is showing us. Gravid, again, is made for a niche group of viewers, but it has the potential to make big waves on the festival circuit where those individuals are looking for content like this.
Written & Directed by Laura Jai Smith.
Starring Eleanor Wyld & Max Rinehart.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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