Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Did you people see the same film I saw?

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

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

"2 Hours" is an American 25-minute short film from 2012, so it is already over 5 years old and here we have a low budget production that takes us once again into a post-apocalyptic scenario like so many other films and series do. This one here was written and directed by Michael Ballif and his co-writer is Josh Merrill, who is also the lead actor here playing the survivor of a zombie apocalypse always on the lookout for others who may have made it. That's the basic premise. I hink it may have have been slightly too long, but given the money they had (not) to their disposal, the outcome is tolerable. From a general perspective, this film is not a failure, but it is also in terms of basically every single production value not on a level where I would recommend checking it out. only go for the watch here if you really really really... really love the genre. Otherwise you will probably be as underwhelmed as I was and this is not a film that will get you interested in the genre defined by The Walking Dead now also almost a decade ago already. I give "2 Hours" a thumbs-down and I am glad it did not run for as long as the title suggests.

"2 Hours" tells the story of a unnamed man, thrust into a virus outbreak. Not only is he having to deal with the loss of his girlfriend, he has to deal with being bit. Having only "2 Hours" to find other survivors before the virus over takes him, he finds himself struggling with visions of his recently lost love.The film, written by Josh Merrill & directed / shot / edited by Michael Ballif , is really well done. With little to no budget, they were able to put together a film that pulls you in. The acting was excellent & the make up / FX were just right & not over the top. I loved their decision to use first person, POV, & wide shots throughout. Deciding to do that could've been a mess but Ballif's editing made it work. Pair that with locations chosen to film...you have a visual treat of a movie.

2 Hours is certainly one of the better independent horror films I have seen in recent years, and truly does capture a feeling of longing and desperation that one could expect if you are a lone survivor fighting for your life. Viewing this movie was a truly engaging experience, in which I caught myself grinning several times as I viewed the spectacular visual effects, the emotional acting, and all the other things that made the movie shine.2 Hours follows an unknown survivor as he searches desperately for a cure to an unknown virus… with which he has recently been infected with. As his mind collapses, he finds himself struggling to maintain his sanity, all the while being haunted by images of his former life. Although I would have loved to see more history for the characters, the fact that this is a short film is more than enough to drown any critique on the matter. Such limitations are common in short festival films, and the fact that 2 Hours held my attention and enthusiasm regardless of any minor critique I had truly does speak to its strength.Michael Balif defined his directorial craft with 2 Hours. His desire for perfection, realism and emotion are very clear. This can be seen by how detailed even the simplest aspects of the film are, and how much work he put into making it as good as it is. The only critique I could offer is no fault of the filmmakers. Limited resources and no budget are often more than enough to put most indie filmmakers into a creative grave, but not these guys.

The cinematography in 2 Hours was the first thing to stand out to me as remarkable, especially considering the fact that it is director Ballif's first film and was done on a budget of practically nothing. Beginning with the very first shots and throughout the entire film, the cinematography alone makes viewers feel exactly what Survivor is feeling and experiencing. The array of emotions visually portrayed in this way that allows viewers to vicariously experience them varies dramatically and includes everything from the childlike excitement of young lovers to sheer and hopeless terror at the inevitability of mental breakdown that Survivor is all too aware is imminent. It takes viewers from scenes of carnage and horror to blissful moments of serene, overpowering beauty. The acting and dialogue for 2 Hours, though not as immediately noteworthy as the cinematography and directing, were sufficient. They never felt lacking or distracting, as is often the case in amateur indie films. I do feel that it is one area that I would like to see Ballif put a bit more of a focus on in future productions. The story was what I was most skeptical of going into 2 Hours, simply because the Zombie theme has been done so much in recent years. However, I was quite pleased with the direction that 2 Hours took the perhaps overused theme. The psychological aspect of Survivors experience with the undead is what made it for me. While watching the film, there were admittedly only a handful of outcomes that seemed very likely, and the actual ending was one of them. I would have liked to be a little bit more surprised, but because of how beautifully the ending was pulled off, I wasn't disappointed. Overall 2 Hours is a short that I highly recommend, and Michael Ballif is an excellent blooming director and filmmaker that I certainly plan to keep my eye on in the future.