Kalimba Featured, Reviews Film Threat
Dreams and reality blur together in Robbie Atkinson’s horror short film Kalimba. Cassidy (Raiani Silva) is a teenager who has had trouble sleeping ever since her father brought home a mysterious kalimba given to her by a friend of hers. Cassidy is in a state of sleep paralysis every night. she can’t move, she’s fully awake, but a demon is hovering over her, watching her. I can see. Cassidy’s night terrors were big enough to wake up her worried mother (Sheila Ball). However, a search of her home found no signs of intrusion or danger on her part, raising questions about Cassidy’s mental state. The next day, Cassidy confides in the only person who believes in her, Esther (Joanna Cruz), the black sheep of her family. With Robbie Atkinson’s short film comes a note from the director. Kalimba is not only a proof of concept for a potential feature film but also, the story was co-written by Robbie’s father, J.E. Atkinson. In Kalimba, Robbie opens with a sequence where Cassidy finds herself stalked by a demon. She searches her darkened home at night, unsure of what’s around every corner. Atkinson adeptly shifts us between horror and reality, setting the stage for the true terror to come later.
This is also a proof of concept, as Kalimba focuses more on filming the horror elements rather than the actual lore of Kalimba, which I haven’t seen before. We just talked about it. Read the press release, Kalimba explores family tensions, generational differences, and spirituality. All the ideas and themes have great potential but are not explored in depth due to the film’s short 20 minute timeline. An example of this is the shower scene in the third act. One example is the third-act shower scene. The demon’s appearance needs to be better integrated with Cassidy’s reaction in the shower. The danger needs to feel much more present and up-close to connect her horror with the object of that horror. The dream for Kalimba is to ultimately become a fully fleshed-out horror feature. This short is a step in the right direction. The foundation is laid to push the limits of horror for indie filmmaking and storytelling.