Short Film Review: Corvidae (2018)

Corvidae is a short horror film written and directed by Tom de Ville (The Quiet Ones) and stars Maisie Williams (Robot Chicken, Game of Thrones). Williams stars as a young girl named Jay who has an affinity for birds. She is out playing one day and decides to follow some boys her age who injure a crow with a slingshot. This starts a series of events in which Jay takes matters into her own hands to protect the crow, and herself, and things get a bit out of hand.

This film has a lot of depth to it for running just under 11 minutes long. Despite it not having much success being crowdfunded, there is a lot of talent among the cast and crew. There are also a lot of elements that come into play that really set a great atmosphere. The bleak and rainy weather, the absence of any dialogue, the fantastic cinematography, and excellent score all really help to tie a great experience together.

It was also well-written. de Ville compromises the dialogue but lets his vision speak volumes instead. Williams does an excellent job in this role and manages to say a lot despite having no lines, and no words needed to be said. The story is one not only about compassion but also loss. It’s something everyone experiences and faces in their own way, whether it be through revenge or imagination, or maybe a bit of both.

Overall, we loved Corvidae, and would definitely recommend it. It’s a quality film with some very heavy themes that encourage you to process it in a way that makes it feel very personal.

This film debuted on 8/27/18 at Frightfest. You can find out more info about where you can watch it over here on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/corvidaeshortfilm and also follow Tom de Ville here on twitter for updates: https://twitter.com/Devilligan