Okay, so I might be pushing the boundaries of what can decently be called a ‘short film’ by including a masturbatory fashion film, but fuck it—let me explain.

Most fashion films aren’t worth their relatively negligible runtimes because they serve a singular function: display clothes, and everything else is secondary. Although, like music videos, fashion films have the opportunity of great creative freedom because the client typically is so focused on that one thing that everything else is open for indulgence. And indulge they do.

One thing that way too many shorts completely overlook is sound design. A common phrase in the film industry is that sound is “51%” of the finished product. Amazingly, most smalltime filmmakers, producers, and/or clients think you can just cut sound out of the equation to save time and money. G(O)OD+(D)EVIL reminds us how sound design is done right. It’s thunderous and commanding. The sounds carry the cuts and push the pacing of the film. The music swells in and eventually overtakes the sounds, but the subtle cracks and flaps—sounds that don’t logically belong but feel appropriate to the supernatural, possessed imagery still work their way to you underneath.

The short is no slouch with the visuals either. Great compositions pushing light against dark and a heavy-handed, but intriguingly ambiguous concept continues to offer new visual surprises that go beyond just, “what the hell is she wearing?” Shot with what looks like a Phantom at excessively high framerates, the motion is languished and tortured; highly indulgent with a purpose.