By Liz Lopez
Rating: B+
“9:40” is the 12 minute Spanish language short horror film from Mexico starring Kristyan Ferrer (“Sin Nombre,” “600 Miles”). Ferrer’s performance in the “Sin Nombre” film written and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga is among many of the outstanding performances from that film and I knew to anticipate an engaging performance in this short. In short, I am not disappointed and although there is very limited dialogue, Ferrer communicates the sense of dread that is mounting within the bus he has boarded for a trip that he initiated at the local bus station.
Morrell has written, directed shot and edited two prior shorts, “Naranjas” and “Los demonios de Anita” and now directs “9:40,” but the limited information I found does not show if he is also the writer of the story or the script. Hopefully he is, as he has presented us with a taste of what is to come should he be working on the feature screenplay.
As the group of passengers on a bus trip proceed down the road, small changes are noted in each member and then they begin to increase, causing alarm in Ferrer’s character. Who is the mysterious woman in black who appears about the same time that Ferrer has boarded? Let’s see how long it takes to get this full story on the big screen. Hopefully at next year’s Fantastic Fest?
Source: Fantastic Fest, IMDb