When 28 episode dramas are not your thing, TikTok videos fail to fall within your age range and IG Reels are just too short to capture the essence of anything more than a ‘moment’ – head on to YouTube for a series of short films. We stumbled upon Paying Guest just by chance!
Don’t know if it was the name Saifee Hassan that forced the play button on me (though Noreen Gulwani & Muneeb Butt have delivered on-point performances); the production, execution, props came together tastefully to create a mystery setting.
I was curious to know how a 14 minute short film can present worthy content for a full-blown review & (if the story held potential) to draw me in, keep me engaged, and make me walk away at the drop scene with a ‘hmmm, that wasn’t too bad’!
Watch because it’s short, not so sweet, yes, a tad melodramatic, but well-executed!
Can’t give you any spoilers of Paying Guest but yes, 2 standout points!
- Saifee Hassan stole the show and should experiment with appearing before the camera more often than not.
- If we, as an entertainment industry, can wrap up a story in 14 minutes as well as in 32 episodes, perhaps the long play-telefilm deserves a revisit too.
Why? Because what we haven’t mastered yet is the 2 hour long cinematic exprerience – that, my friends, is another ‘story’ altogether. Yes, pun intended there. So get your script right film writers, find a happy medium between the short film and the multi-episode serial, and you might just ace that story!
Verdict? Go watch Paying Guest and tell us how it was!
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What are you waiting for? Grab your favorite snacks to munch on because this one could surely be on your weekend movie list!
Special FUCHSIA recommendation, follow up with Bridges, and Champa Chambeli – 2 more short films available online!
Tell us if short films are you going to be your new ‘thing’, do they pack a punch to switch your viewing choices, and why they are really becoming the new gig in town for viewers and actors alike!
