2023 HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
Pete (Gilly Caulo) and Lilly (Signe Naranjo) are newlyweds just trying to live the dream. They come from different religious backgrounds, and while that shouldn’t cause too many issues, they are finding it to be troublesome (and not in the way one might think). Nonno is the story of Pete dealing with the horrors of their home. What will happen next?
When Writer-Director Connor Martin reached out to me regarding Nonno he happened to mention the recent horror film Talk to Me. He talked briefly about all that it was able to accomplish with what little they had to work with–and I can’t help but to make comparisons between that film and Nonno. This film creates suspense in such simple ways, and every second of the film is appealing as a result.
Every once in a while I’m so drawn into a film that I forget to be a critic. I end up focusing on the story and how it made me feel–and that’s all. That’s sort of how my viewing of Nonno went. I was immediately pulled in and just enjoyed my viewing experience as a fan rather than as a critic. I had to go back and reevaluate the things that I saw and heard–trying to figure out why I felt the way I did when I watched. For context, however, it was four-thirty in the morning and pitch black when I watched this horror film by myself–and that definitely helped my viewing experience. I was freaked out by the things that occurred throughout the course of Nonno, and in ways that don’t typically bother me when watching films of this nature.
The thing that I believe worked best when creating suspense is the fact that Martin omits dialogue for a majority of the film. He relies on the score and the visuals to create suspense in a way that resonates with viewers–and everything that he hoped to achieve works out in this regard. Whether it’s a shadowy figure, a creepy smile, or something else entirely, I was constantly rattled by the things that played out in Nonno. Every second of this film pulls viewers further and further into it–constantly creating suspense and tension, and I couldn’t be more impressed with the development of Nonno in this regard.
Nonno uses some of the same cliche ploys that have come before in the horror genre. Whether it’s a jump scare or a character dimwittedly leaving the door open for evil to enter the house, these things have been seen before. With that said, however, they don’t feel ridiculous or out of place–but effective. Martin uses light to ensure that these potentially cheesy moments work in the film’s favor, that rather than stealing from the drama they intensify it. Again, it’s the suspense building that works the best in Nonno, and through these familiar techniques Martin and his team are able to develop it further than I believed possible.
Nonno is short and quick–but not necessarily straight to the point. Nonno never really gives viewers answers, and the film remains open ended and far more mysterious as a result. A combination of mystery and the familiar (in regard to what we’ve seen before in horror films), Nonno becomes massively suspenseful, powerfully terrifying, and just a downright fun and entertaining film.
Written & Directed by Connor Martin.
Starring Gilly Caulo, Signe Naranjo, & Scott Bernard Nelson.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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