Homebound

Written by: Usher Morgan |   Directed by: Usher Morgan |  Genre: Short/Drama

Jamie Rockwell (Katie Vincent) suffers a condition known as agoraphobia. It’s a debilitating mental disorder that causes people to be afraid to leave their homes. Sometimes even their room. Apparently, she has been suffering from this disorder for quite a while, and it seems to be getting worse. At one point, Jamie routinely visited a psychiatrist (Sebastian Arcelus), and he recommended a pet. It worked wonders. Although Jamie still had trouble coping, she seemed to be slowly getting better with the help of her therapy dog.

But as Homebound began, I quickly learned that things were not alright. Jamie’s dog was missing. Possibly let out by a careless maintenance man, but the “how’s” didn’t matter. Jamie was alone again and more frightened than ever. She knew she had to go out and look for her dog. She knew she had to hand out posters, but that would mean going outside. So with nobody to turn to, not even her shrink, Jamie sets out to do the unthinkable. Find her dog.

Homebound is a very tight and very good short film. One of the best I’ve seen this year. Yes, it’s a micro-budget indie, but it really doesn’t look like it. Also worth noting is that the audio is also very well done, which is an area micro-budget movies slip most often. Another expertly handed aspect is the use of imagery and sound to allow the viewer a glimpse into the mind of Jamie. But none of that wouldn’t amount to squat if Jamie’s character wasn’t acted out in an appropriate manner. I’m glad to write that Katie Vincent pulled an ace out of her sleeve because Homebound is superbly acted.

In around 20 minutes, Usher Morgan’s short film manages to get more across than a lot of feature-length movies I’ve seen. This is the whole package, and considering it’s mainly a one-woman show, I’m pretty speechless. Katie Vincent is fabulous, and yes, so is Sebastian in a secondary role as the doctor. This is how indie was meant to be. Thank you for reading.

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