Illegal

A man in a cafe sparks up a conversation with a girl. It seems they are both illegal immigrants to the UK, Andrej (Robert Cambrinus, who also writes and directs) from the Ukraine, Moya (Audrey McCoy) from Chechnya. We watch as their romance blossoms, but trouble isn't far away.

Cambrinus has an eye for composition. He cleverly focuses on the little things - hands on the cups in the cafe, the protagonists' backs as they walk away from the camera - everything is neatly framed.

In a central interlude he uses Super 8 to good effect, carrying you away with the improptu enthusiasm of film that is up close and personal. Curiously, this segment, which is filmed without dialogue works on a deeper level than those sections that are scripted.

This may be due to the accents. Both are serviceable enough, but Cambrinus (Austrian by birth) is a little too Bond villain and - if I am not much mistaken - I could swear McCoy's Chechnyan affectation bore the traces of an Irish brogue.

Two things stand out. One is a selective use of nudity - most unusual in a short film but employed sympathetically here. The other is the intelligent plot development. It's clear Cambrinus has a lot of potential - though probably more so behind the camera than in front of it.

Out to own as part of the Final Cut: Take Three DVD short film collection.