I seem to be on a movie kick lately. There have been some great maze movies and there have been some terrible ones, umm…. The Funhouse Massacre, The Maze and Mazes and Monsters . So how is the short film Foxes ? Have you seen Vivarium ? That is important to understand this review.
This is actually 2 different reviews based on one piece of information that only you know - Have you seen Vivarium starring Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Potts or not ? The movie poster and trailer should help you if you are not sure.
Best movie trailer thumbnail ever ?
Now read the appropriate section !
I have seen Vivarium - Read this
I found this movie when I was researching the movie Vivarium which was based on this short film from the same director, Lorcan Finnegan. So comparisons between the 2 movies make sense, like how this film feels much less maze-like than Vivarium. Remember how the housing complex in Vivarium had a very artificial and plastic look to it, well the housing complex this couple is trapped in has a much more realistic look to it. While the couple in Vivarium has a much more linear timeline, this couple appears to be in a more Groundhog Day type loop of sameness. The wife eventually senses this and tries to break out of the monotony. And there are shrieking foxes. And things are weird. There aren’t a lot of answers in this film but there sure are a lot of questions. It is worth a look (see the video below!).
I have NOT seen Vivarium - Read this
The 2011 short film Foxes is directed by Lorcan Finnegan who later directed the film Vivarium based on this same story. Have you ever been to a planned community in suburbia where every house looks the same and they seem to stretch on forever ? Every street you turn down curves around to another street that looks the same as the last one. You are more likely to meet a roundabout dead end than the main road because the traffic planners did not want to make streets that could be navigated quickly, slowing vehicles down and keeping the local children safe. Those subdivision developments are built on the edges of towns where large amounts of land can be secured and they have names like The Meadows, Canyon Estates and Magnolia Country Lakes. Now you have a sense for the setting of this movie. Now add in a bit of Groundhog Day like daily grind of being that you can get stuck in from the routines we have from going to work each day. And every once in awhile because the subdivision was built on new land you get visited by foxes. Loud foxes. And you begin to question what exactly is really going on. What does this all mean ? You won’t find any answers here, but you will have lots of questions. This is a short film worth watching. I recommend it.
Hey, no need for a trailer, why don’t you just watch the whole thing !!! If you have 16 minutes, I think it is worth your time !