THE CRITIC
2018 | USA | 15 MIN
World premiere at the 2018 Boston Film Festival, First Prize/Runner-Up award at Amazon’s inaugural 2019 All Voices Film Festival, Best Director at the 2018 UK Film Review Awards and Best Short Film at the 2019 Method Fest, as well as Indie Shorts Mag's Editor's Pick - "The Best Of All, From 2018!". The Critic offers a glimpse into the darker side of fame, as a starry-eyed actress, fresh off a major win embarks on an interview that proves to be a lot more than just that.
Poster design by Sylvere Azoulai
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Official Trailer
CREDITS
Starring: Stella Velon, Alan Smyth, Todd Karner
Written and Directed by: Stella Velon
Producer/Executive Producer: Jean Gabriel Kauss
Cinematography by: Akis Konstantakopoulos
Edited by: Ivan Andrijanic
Music by: Asaf Sagiv
Production Company: The Punk Floyd Company
“★★★★★
A meditation on fame, judgement and regret, filmmaker Stella Velon’s immensely impactful short film The Critic journeys into one character's own sense of self worth through the eyes of a vicious interviewer.
Gloriously fierce and packed with substantial emotional heft… The Critic is a powerful short film loaded with exceptional dialogue…
Stories about Hollywood notoriety and rags-to-riches are ten a penny and often the characters are so far removed from the audience’s own environment that few of the themes hit home with any real impact. However, in The Critic, the deeply personal approach that Velon takes and the choice to use a single male interviewer makes this a particularly poignant piece of cinema in the current social climate. Her character's experience at the hands of this venomously harsh critic is so entrancing in its brutality and should resonate with a large amount of viewers.”
UK FILM REVIEW
“★★★★★
Velon’s direction is exceptional; she sets the premise without making it forced… From her writing & direction to acting, she has done it with such finesse, that it’s a pity that we can’t rate her any higher. At a time of #Metoo & #Timesup, ‘The Critic’ remains an honest dissection of what it takes to be a star and offers a peek-a-boo into that galaxy which we all find so alluring.”
*THE CRITIC became the first short film to receive a full five star rating on IndieShortsMag.com
INDIE SHORTS MAG
“The Best Of All, From 2018!
Of all the films of 2018, we had some unique entries and never-seen-before shorts, but, perhaps, the best of it all had to be ‘The Critic’, for its sheer content and consistency with regards to performance and execution from all quarters. Stella Velon’s ‘The Critic’, a poignant, insightful look into the soul of an actress, with the measured performance of Velon is a 14:55 minutes long film that gently peels off the veneer of glamour.
The dialogues, deftly sequenced into an interview style… brings forth such a powerful short that it’s both hard hitting and achingly moving. Be it the editing or the direction, there is such consistency in the way the film is executed from start to finish that it is hard to pick a flaw in it.
For films that usually offer a kaleidoscopic vision into the film industry, ‘The Critic’ uses a singular lens to focus on the work, profession and personal space of the people involved in the field, all through the eyes of an actress. ‘The Critic’ is an absolutely stunning visual and a treat to the cerebral folk and cinephiles alike!
The editor’s pick this year singularly, unabashedly falls for Stella Velon’s ‘The Critic’, worth every minute of the short! Indie Shorts Mag wishes Stella Velon the best for her future projects and thanks her for shining such pearls of genius upon us this year!”
INDIE SHORTS MAG | EDITOR’S PICK
“A quietly fierce, dramatically potent, and heartbreakingly palpable exercise in what could very well be one of the most impactful inward looks at the realities found within the celebrity mindset, writer/director/actress Stella Velon’s 15-minute indie short film profoundly places the viewer right into the core of an interview gone wrong. Steeped in emotionally-charged gravitas throughout, whether subtle or blatant, it shines that revealing light upon concepts ranging from the tactlessness of the press to one actress’ own internal battle with ghosts from her past, all welling up in one session of increasingly stormy confrontation…
It’s an interesting and provocative statement made through a wonderfully clever narrative… it also reflects just how much we truly don’t know about what goes on behind the closed doors of these actor’s lives, and when we look at the tragedies like Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Williams, et al, it’s an all-too-real portrait that what we see on the surface as “the perfect life” they lead isn’t always everything it appears to be.
In total, “The Critic” is a sublime piece of indie film magic, currently on what I can only believe should be a hugely successful festival run, that I honestly hope not only gains the awards it deserves, but perhaps acts as some small form of wake-up call to us as the public when it comes to our ideas about celebrity and what we think it means, as even with all the success and glamour that appears on the outside, we shouldn’t ever discount what may actually be residing beneath it all”
ONE FILM FAN
“★★★★
Velon… grabs you from the start, establishes an emotional connection with the audience, and then straps you in on an emotional roller coaster ride.”
FILM THREAT
“★★★★
…writer/director Stella Velon's emotionally involving and thought-provoking short film The Critic… is nearly instantly engaging and a remarkably poignant story that somehow manages to travel a broad emotional spectrum while delivering a complete story within its modest 15-minute running time.
I was just recently reading an interview that Will Ferrell conducted with acclaimed actor Joaquin Phoenix, whose resistance to media coverage is well known and whose every response reveals both his strengths and his vulnerabilities. It was a powerful interview, simultaneously simple yet layered in emotional complexities. The same is true here…
Mostly, however, this is Velon's baby and what an amazing baby it is to behold.”
THE INDEPENDENT CRITIC
“The film deals with heavy material, and, from its start, Velon (who also stars in the film as the actress) positions herself as a serious filmmaker. Its opening, showing Velon looking at herself in the mirror as we hear a monologue of her acceptance speech is cinematic beauty…
What stands out about “The Critic” is its production value and aim, which are both pristine in their execution. The film is ambitious, and wants us to follow it along it progression… You’re left with the distinct impression of watching a film, and none of the lighting, scene setting, or production problems that can sometimes plague low-budget indies are present here.
Velon’s film packs an emotional punch and is rife with good performances and thoughtful shots; …a scene with director Velon as she sits slumped on the ground, questioning wether to relapse into drug and alcohol use is the film’s most powerful. It requires a terrific physical performance of tears and pain from Velon, and she delivers… the pain – both psychological and physical – is palpable, and Velon (through her direction and acting) makes us feel it.
“The Critic” is a good production that involves the audience directly in the picture. It’s painted with vibrant colors, has a solid intention…
Velon has written and produced a powerful indie here, and I’m eager to see what she does with her next production.”
THE MOVIE BUFF
“Stella Velon proves to be a triple threat in her directorial debut, ‘The Critic’ which she also wrote and starred in.
This set up is key in heightening the impact of the film’s antagonist… Velon’s artistic choices are excellent, especially with regards to the character of the Interviewer (Alan Smyth).
Velon has created a wonderful illusion of reality and deceit that encompasses real issues in modern society. The script is a powerful foundation which is intensified tenfold by the performances of the protagonists. Stella Velon’s debut film, ‘The Critic’ is hopefully the start of many to come!”
INDY REVIEWS
“The standout offering of the block is 'The Critic', written, directed by and starring Stella Velon… immaculately executed.
Understanding the form and purpose of a short story is just as important as screencraft and 'The Critic' succeeds on all fronts.”
THE FAN CARPET + ACTING HOUR [SOPHIE LONDON]
“Budding film makers need to look no further than The Critic for a first-rate example of short screen storytelling. Deftly capitalizing on a simple premise, with a tension-crackling script that is always surprising, topped with a compelling central performance, The Critic showcases a major talent in the world of short film.”
MEDIUM [Lawrence Bennie]
STILLS
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Watch the Making-of