Watch The Rules of the Game For Free

Purely Joyful Movie!

Did you people see the same film I saw?

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Henry pulls up at a country house and proceeds to unpack his car and walk through the beautiful rooms and grounds as he tells a story of a man who got engaged to a woman but was ultimately hurt by betrayal and infidelity. This short film is very dialogue driven and that can be a risk at times because sometimes those coming to short films may also have an expectation that the short cater for a shorter attention span, so essentially 8 minutes of script may not grab that attention and hold it. This film works it though and from the start we are drawn into the story we are being told – partly because of the way it is delivered but also because we are not sure how (or if) the story relates to the character telling it to us.The casting of Harper is a good choice because his delivery really engages and he tells a story well with a good presence and manner in front of the camera; his use to play all the characters in the story also adds to the mystery as to where we are going with this. The direction makes good use of the grounds and house, and the rather tawdry tale contrasts nicely with the locations. There is a nice conclusion to the tale – not a brilliant one or one that really flips the tone of the film or our perception of the character, but it still works one a solid level.A professionally and engagingly delivered short film then, mostly due to the presence and delivery of Harper, whom the whole film is built around and rises to that very well.