Short Film, Short Review: Pedro Pires' HOPE

With his brilliant debut short Danse Macabre director Pedro Pires announced himself as a major new talent on the Canadian film scene, one who employed a striking and distinctive visual language that few could match. With his sophomore effort, Hope, Pires makes it very clear that Danse Macabre was not a fluke and that he is not just one of the best in Canada but that he is arguably one of the finest directors in the world who is yet to shoot a feature.

Ten minutes of perfection Hope is a surreal, dreamlike reflection on life and death as experienced by a general dying on a nameless battlefield. Like Danse Macabre, Hope plays entirely without dialog because Pires is smart enough to understand that words would only amount to clutter. The visuals - shot by Pires himself, his background as a cinematographer serving him well - are absolutely astounding, his manipulation of mood even moreso. Hope is a hypnotic experience, one that seemingly bubbles straight up from the subconscious mind. It is a flawless piece from start to finish, one that make it clear that someone, somewhere needs to write Pires a check large enough for him to make whatever feature film he may care to.