Descensus ad Mortem

Written by: Eric Bair  |   Directed by: Eric Bair |  Genre: Dramatic Thriller  |   Length: 15 minutes

“We need more stories like this. Hope and strength instead of blood and gore. Many micro filmmakers forget that inspiration is just as powerful as action and adventure.

 A newly widowed woman must overcome her fear of stairs in order to find something left by her late husband. This isn’t a fear of heights or falling. It’s literally a fear of stairs so strong, it could easily cause someone to fall. The widow Delia (Carol Hannan) while still mourning her loss, keeps and even talks to her late husband. She keeps his urn with her. As his wake approaches, Delia can’t even manage to go because of her fear. She knows she will fall down the stairs if she tries and senses death. She’s right. Death first appears in her room the night before as a shadow cast on her wall.
 As the film progresses, we viewers see death in various scenes as Delia finally decides to leave her home and find what was left for her. This film was created by Eric Bair, who really tries to sell the dangers of Delia’s fear, using various camera methods of her going down the stairs. It is effective, but does get tedious. At the end of the film we get to see her gift and if it were me? I would be annoyed. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but you’ll probably feel the same. But it does get Delia motivated and I guess that’s the point.

 What really surprised me was Eric Bair’s ability to stretch out such a simple story and keep it reasonably interesting. Pretty much, this is a story of a woman going down some stairs. This is the bulk of the film. When you say it like that, it should only be about 1 minute! But Descensus ad Mortem has enough flesh around the bone to keep it going and keep you watching. I know this is a story about fighting your fears whatever they may be, and it’s a good story. But visually, it really is about a woman going down stairs. So I am thrilled to have liked it as much as I did. As I’m sure you’ve guessed, this is a micro budget film. If you’re expecting Eric Bair’s short to look like a million bucks you’ll be disappointed. But it does look good enough to be enjoyed. My only real complaint was the sound problems. I watched this movie with headphones and some of the talking was hard to hear. Hard. Not impossible. I also think Eric may have drug it out a little more than he should have. But again, only a little.

 We need more stories like this. Hope and strength instead of blood and gore. Many micro filmmakers forget that inspiration is just as powerful as action and adventure. Descensus ad Mortem reminds me that you don’t need to break the bank to tell a good story and this short film, gets a 3 out of 5 stars.

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