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Anyone who has ever been stuck in a lift will most probably tell you that it’s not a particularly pleasant experience. Add an ominous stranger into the mix, and things could certainly have the potential to become something of a worst nightmare. For those of you who are of a curious nature, or perhaps just those of you who would like to watch a well-produced independent short, FlyFantanaFly Production’s Lift is here to bring any of your elevator-inspired nightmares to light.

With an impressive effort of being written, directed, edited and musically produced by Jamie McNaught, Lift follows middle-aged Kevin Mewes (Tim Benton) as he begins his journey to work to clock-up what presumably will be just another day at the office. Without wanting to give away any plot points, let’s just say that Kevin’s work day runs a lot differently to what one would expect.

You are, of course, correct in assuming that the inevitable happens. Shortly into the film, Kevin gets stuck in the communal work lift and we are introduced to a stranger who shares with him the same unfortunate fate, Chris Mia (Mark Crook). As for who is the more ominous of the two, that’s for you to decide.

The story itself is impressive in how it delivers a surprising plot twist, however the twist perhaps becomes slightly over-exploited due to how much it is played on as a plot device when all is ultimately revealed. Also, the story does arguably lack a certain amount of substance in terms of overall content and explanation, which is unfortunately unaided by the disjointed pacing running throughout. Despite this, there are certain elements of the dialogue that are realistic in terms of conveying stark emotion, however the delivery of these lines are halted by arguably over-performed acting by the cast members.

One thing Lift is not short on delivering is plenty of gore and ominous atmospherics. Even the lift the two characters get stuck in is decrepit, so much so that it’s surprising that it was still functioning in the first place. The short is shot and edited with an off-yellow and grainy hue, adding to the overall grimy feel of the film and also suiting the dark tone of the story. In terms of direction, Lift delivers some well-staged camera shots provided by the ensemble team of cameramen (Paul Immanuel, Neville West and Robert Woolgroove). There’s also a generous amount of close-ups that fully take advantage of each actor’s range of staged grimaces and pained expressions.

As an independent film, Lift delivers incredibly well in terms of its production and atmospherics. Lift also has an intriguing premise that, if developed more thoroughly, could truly have the potential to produce some entertaining and original results. All-in-all and regardless of perhaps falling short on delivering too much exposition and not containing enough real substance, McNaught is certainly one to watch out for in the future.

Where do you draw the line between self-confidence and perhaps possessing an overly-inflated sense of self-worth? Lincoln-based independent film company Quandary Productions offers creative insight into this question with their fourth feature film production, the aptly named Narcissist.

Shot over 4 weekends and with a production budget of £2000, Narcissist is an anti-romantic comedy that follows the friendship of aspiring actors Leonard (Michael Henry) and Nathan (Tom Bridger) as they delve into the art of picking-up women and collecting a stack of victory phone-numbers in the process.

Written, directed, edited and produced by starring actor Michael Henry, Narcissist is an interesting exploration of what happens when the human psyche goes AWOL. Despite the title of the film, Narcissist perhaps impresses most in how it, ironically, has a very down-to-earth script that plays out as very genuine and natural in its content.

When we first meet main character Leonard, he has recently split up with his girlfriend and is struggling to launch his acting career. Due to Leonard’s incredibly uncharismatic persona and the perhaps unfortunate geeky connotations conjured from his name by hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory, one also may begin to think that there is no hope for him. Humour and the opposite side of the personality-wheel comes along in the form of quirky best-friend Nathan, who, unlike Leonard, often pursues a string of successful one-night stands and also appears to be successful in his acting career. Unhappy and understandably hurt from the knowledge of his ex-girlfriend moving on from their split, Leonard decides to attend a master-class for picking up women and convinces a reluctant Nathan to come along with him.

The art of picking-up women is definitely not one to be underestimated in this 92 minute feature, as will be proved by the enigmatically named pick-up guru ‘Enigma’. Leonard is taught by the guru to basically craft an entirely new persona for himself and to stand-out from the crowd in terms of dress-code and personal grooming. As Enigma wears a bright green suit-jacket and a white Frank Sinatra-esque hat, let’s hope he takes no fashion inspiration from him. In somewhat Lord Sugar in The Apprentice boardroom style, Enigma repeatedly asks a deflated Leonard why he is actually there to see him and then, upon Leonard’s response, angrily tells him that he doesn’t care about his life story. This tough-love approach inspires a montage of Enigma mentoring Leonard in his quest to reinvent himself, a segment that would be reminiscent of ladies-man mentor Ryan Gosling in Crazy, Stupid, Love if Enigma were perhaps 30 years younger, stylish and of course had the ability to make young women swoon with the drop of a t-shirt.

As Leonard continues to mold himself into Lord of the pick-ups, he progressively gains a lot more attention from women, however he also progressively transforms into more of a budding megalomaniac as his one-night stand quota steadily continues to rack up. Due to the majority of Leonard’s attention now going into accumulating phone-numbers, fluffing his hair and learning more from guru Enigma, it’s unsurprising that his relationship with best friend Nathan begins to suffer. Despite the obvious shift in Nathan and Leonard’s friendship, Nathan’s days of one-night stands now appear to be over as he begins to develop a relationship; however he does have an awful lot of awkward conversations with random by-passers about the apparent halt in his acting career.

Commendation should be given to the script as being highly impressive in how it conveys a very natural and unforced dialogue throughout, which is somewhat tricky given the dramatic premise of the story. The script also gives life to some well-executed character arcs, proving that the characters are certainly not one-dimensional in both personality and purpose.

With a small main cast, the acting is equally consistent and is even impressively understated at times. At first glance the character Nathan could appear to serve as comedic cannon-fodder, however actor Tom Bridger in fact begins to incorporate great personality and likeability to his character with every scene he is featured in.

The direction featured in Narcissist is also impressive in how it includes a large amount of static shots that are able to serve incredibly well in conveying the thematic intensity of the film through allowing the script to take centre-stage with no quick camera movements or distractions. Also, the camera-positioning of some silent shots can be seen as an intelligent reflection of the character’s moods, in particular the character Leonard who appears to spend a large amount of screen-time either standing or sitting in a very dark and brooding manner.

The soundtrack, created by the conveniently named Sebastian Moody, works well to provide a dark and somewhat sinister underscore that runs throughout the film. Neither overbearing or non-purposeful, Moody’s soundtrack certainly compliments the gritty psychological nature of Narcissist and is also impressive in it being all original music created by the composer.

While there is no doubt that Narcissist is a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable take on modern romantic interactions and human relationships,  its dialogue-heavy script and intense psychological subject matter could perhaps be seen as too overbearing for some casual film viewers. However, due to the script in fact being heavily impressive itself and also the talented cast featured throughout, Narcissist is certainly a feature you should consider indulging yourself in.

Three friends head out on a journey or discovery and sex. Great another sex romp about three geeky guys who haven’t lost their virginity. What’s that you say? They’re disabled. Well… That changes things doesn’t it. This will be a most powerful study of triumph of adversity.

Yes I’m being sarcastic. But truthfully that’s kind of what I thought Come As You Are (originally titled Hasta La Vista) when I read the synopsis. Happily the film turns out to be better than both those descriptions would have you think. Philip (Robrecht Vanden Thoren), Lars (Gilles De Schrijver) and Jozef (Tom Audenaert); three friends who connect over women and discussions about their respective disabilities. Philip is a paraplegic, Lars is wheel chair bound due to a brain tumour and Jozef is blind. The film lays it’s premise out swiftly after the opening titles showing two buxom ladies jogging across a beach in slow motion all whilst Philip looks on admiringly. He decides that he’s tired of being a bored virgin and proposes a road trip across Europe which will eventually see them pop their cherries via any number of brothels. The set ups is all there for a bordy Sex Trip style film but director Geoffrey Enthoven is keen to show that there things aren’t as simple in real life as jumping in a mini van and getting involved in hi-jinks.

Firstly the group must convince their parents who are naturally concerned about letting their disabled children loose in Europe. They convince them by saying it’s a cultural trip involving wine tasting. Before the trip begins Lars hears that his brain tumour is worsening and has only a short time left. Defying their parents wishes they head off with their driver Clause (Isabelle de Hertogh), a large French lady who they have mistaken on the phone for a man with an effeminate voice. So Come As You Are becomes something of a ticking clock drama as the boys try to reach their goal of seeing more of the world and more of women whilst Lars is still capable.

There are a lot of the usual road trip tropes. The group get into trouble with other tourists, they fall out amongst themselves, they make up, fall out again over women, there are constant threats to derail their journey. There are genuinely funny moments and some very bleak moments concerning mortality and disability. Come As You Are never shirks away from showing the limitations that these young men have to overcome but neither does it overly dwell on them. Much like an early episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry David points out that even people in wheelchairs can be rude, Philip is painted at times as very dis-likable. Frustrated by his condition he lashes out at friends with venom whenever he feels slighted but has no problem with his own double-standards. De Schrivjer as Lars stands out in particular as heart breaking. Almost angelic in looks he is the embodiment of a life cut short through the betrayal of his own body.

The third acts starts to feel a bit reminiscent of Sideways and Little Miss Sunshine as the foursome group together to enjoy their last hurrah, once on the run from their know knowing parents. All four lead actors are excellent and a film which I had misgivings of before turned out to be a very rewarding watch. Surprisingly funny, touching and in one scene in particular quite harrowing Come As You Are is one of those lovely surprises that greatly exceeds your expectations.