Slash FF review: Cub (2024)
Slash Film Festival
Fantastic Shorts Competition
Competition often tends to turn us into beasts whose survival and killer instincts surpass other, more human and humane traits. Sports are those that first come to mind to illustrate such a claim, and combat sports are probably the “usual suspects” to expose the “dog-eat-dog” tendencies of the world we live in. That certainly happens in Sofia Rubin’s short film Cub, which celebrates its international premiere at the Slash Film Festival in Vienna.
Kimberly (Avery Ilardi) is a young and promising grappler, but it is not just her opponents that she has to wrestle with. Maybe the itchy sports bra can be handled, but the competitiveness of her father (Ryan Czerwonko), who is also her coach, is through the roof and puts a lot of pressure on her. The most important match of her career is just about to happen, and Kim notices some significant changes on her body. Her arms are covered in fur, and her killer instinct rises to a bestial level, which she tries to control through human and fair play decisions, not acting on it. Can she do it?
The director often opts for close-ups on Ilardi’s face, and the young actress soldiers through them bravely. They are interrupted by quick cuts in the editing handled by Rubin and her co-writer Myles Brewer, and in the rapid pans in James Kolsby’s cinematography. Combined, they create a sense of immediacy in various aspects – in the match, in the protagonist’s head, and in her body. The SFX make-up work by Sarah “Era” Visina also has to be commended here, while Will Bloodfarm’s music miniatures performed on Japanese taiko drums also serve the purpose perfectly.
On top of the “spoilery” title, the central metaphor is played out in a very literal fashion here, so it does not serve as the metaphor any more, which is the common problem of the contemporary artsy horrors with aspirations to be classified as “elevated”. The lack of subtlety in that regard can actually sink a feature film, but it is less of a problem with a short that keeps things simple.
That is the case with Cub, and Sofia Rubin demonstrates her skills in telling a simple story while deftly juggling genres and sub-genres, resulting in a smooth blend of body horror, psychological thriller, sports drama, action, and creature feature, all based on werewolf lore. It sounds like a bit too much, but it is a nimble and exciting genre piece.
Year: 2024
Runtime: 9’26’’
Country: USA
Language: English
Directed by: Sofia Rubin
Written by: Sofia Rubin, Myles Brewer
Cast: Avery Ilardi, Ryan Czerwonko, Uschi Umsched, Briana Carlson-Goodman, Myles Brewer, Dennis Gupta
Cinematography by: James Kolsby
Editing by: Sofia Robin, Myles Brewer
Music by: Will Bloodfarm
Sound design by: Maya Reter
Production design by: Angela Chesser
Costume design by: Annaliese Kambour
Make-up by: Sarah “Era” Visina
Special effects by: Sarah “Era” Visina
Colourist: James Kolsby
Assistant director: Caroline Bates
Produced by: Myles Brewer, James Kolsby, Sago
Executive producers: Annaliese Kambour, Hugo De Sousa, Mina Malik, Derek Sells
Production company: Amaranth Film & Media
