An Eye for an Artisan by Guy Nicholls

It isn’t everyday that we stumble upon a film that has us on our edge and is able to transport the viewers into the world of the story as it unravels like what “An Eye for an Artisan” did. The intricate approach made by writer/director“ Guy Nicholls” demonstrate a craftsmanship that promises a more than a successful future.

The multi-layered script had the viewer taken by what seemed to be three different stories, only to discover that they are intertwined and brilliantly woven together, having “Bearclaw 1” as the common denominator that brings all the pieces back together. Acting wise, the entire cast did more than a good job but the combination of “Widdows, Heaven and Varney” proved to be the secret formula that propelled the work to a totally different level; be it the body language, facial expressions or the overall performance was more than convincing and especially memorable. The final scene between “Widdows and Varney” reminds us of the final scene from the award winning hit “Kill Bill: Volume Two” between “Uma Thurman and David Carradine” by the legend “Quentin Tarantino” (not in its brutality or directorially but in its intensity and heated emotions) how they mentally fought each other as if it was a real battle scene and only one winner would prevail.

Technically, “Nicholls” proved himself to be a person with a genuine professional directorial vision in the way that he managed to deliver an overall outcome that was more than smooth. The consistency in the overall framing and the choice of shots allowed (as mentioned earlier) the viewer to be more involved in the events taking place in each scene, lighting wise the use of different color palettes enhanced the desired mood and created an image that is more than expressive at some point. The music is certainly to be considered as the final puzzle piece that was not only used as mood enhancer but was perfectly timed and served its purpose for the benefit of the work at hand.

Finally, and on a scale from one to ten this film is a definite eight plus, plus, having all the elements needed for a truly fine piece of filmmaking it is a must see and a sign of what to be expected by writer/director “Nicholls” who is definitely going to leave an original mark in the world of film making .

N.Khouri Ph.D

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