‘Cram’ Review

Stars: John DiMino, Carolina Do, Brandon Burton, Rolando Chusan, Tobias Arizio | Written and Directed by Abie Sidell

With his final paper due, student Marc (John DiMino) is struggling. His classmates offer constructive criticism, although he’s left rattled knowing that what he’s written isn’t good enough. He tries asking Alice (Carolina Do) to show him his paper for inspiration, yet she disagrees that copying off her hard work is the necessary course of action.

Thus begins a long night, which accurately showcases the mundanity of properly citing references and trying to hit the word count. This continues into the night, as Marc finds himself alone in the library and discovers that his work has vanished. As he hears whispering in the distance, the search for the noise’s source leads to him see things within the increasingly sinister surroundings.

Unfolding across a 44-minute runtime, writer/director Abie Sidell utilises assured direction to capture the mind-boggling situation which reflects Marc’s fears. From the mirroring of the lead’s sense of disorientation, to the disturbing mixture of imagery and sound effects, it’s an effective way to convey the unknowing sense of what’s coming next.

Central to it all is DiMino’s performance, who wonderfully captures Marc’s worries at this stage of his life. He faces an uncertain future while his time as a student ends, and he’s panicking at this last hurdle. The frustrations bubble up as he worries that he hasn’t done enough to pass, and that’s all he wants in this stressful time when his fear of failing prevents him from even trying. What’s left is an assured debut which reflects the stressful worries that education brings.

**** 4/5

Cram is out now on digital from Terror Films.