“Those Who Remain,” directed by Christabel Green

San Diego Short Film Festival

Genere: Horror/Suspense

Total Run Time 15:00

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A college student (Annabelle Pistel) experiences domestic discord with one messy roommate (Vivian Monteagudo) and one possibly possessed roommate (Amelie Nail). With the aid of her boyfriend (Troy Davidson), she tilts at the windmills of psychological diagnoses and health-care bureaucracy in a vain attempt to assist her possessed roommate before just about everyone succumbs to the same fate.

Narratively speaking, the “replaced by a doppelganger” trope is well-worn both within cinema (“The Thing,” “Moon,” “A Prince and Pauper Christmas”) and outside of cinema (the Germans invented the word “doppelganger” about 200 years ago). It’s an expression of paranoia that can serve as a stand-in for cold-war politics, corporate malfeasance, “road not taken” philosophical musings or existential dread. “Those Who Remain” hews toward the latter, with what seems like a religious undertone.

“Seems” is doing a lot of work in that sentence, and that word quickly establishes itself as the thesis for the film. Things aren’t as they seem. But the word also conveys a distinct lack of clarity, and this film lacks in clarity in the creepiest ways. Are these possessions religious in nature? Maybe. Do the antagonists have a reason for doing what they’re doing? Possibly. Is Caden her boyfriend? Nothing on screen read as “boyfriend” for me. Green keeps us unsure, which gave me a creepy "end of days" kind of vibe.

There are things about “Those Who Remain” that work really well. For example, it’s legitimately creepy. The music is creepy. The lighting is creepy. The makeup is creepy. The scene at the film’s resolution isn’t going to surprise anyone but is very effectively creepy. Yet, ultimately, the lack of clarity hurts the film by allowing it to go off on non-creepy tangents. Did you know that it’s difficult to set a medical appointment for someone you’re not related to? That makes up a not-insignificant portion of the run time here. The creepy vibe is nicely perpetuated with a minimum of special or visual effects. So, if you’re looking to give yourself the creeps and you've got 15 minutes, this is your ride.

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