Class revenge is a privilege the poor can’t afford. In David and Sam Cutler-Kreutz’s tense short film, a janitor named Joaquin (Javier Molina) is working late, looking after his son. As he waits for his mother in law to come and pick him up he hears a noise coming from the gymnasium. It’s a gang of rich boys setting about filling the hall with powerful mousetraps. They humiliate and taunt the poor man, prompting him to consider drastic actions to take revenge.
Trapped is an extremely well made short, boasting production values and smooth filmmaking becoming of a much larger production. Without ever seeming excessive, the camera glides, the editing snaps and the sound design grounds the short in a richly textured reality. The claustrophobic darkness of the hallways contrast against the hollow grandeur of the setting of the boys childish prank. Joaquin’s world is endless and smothering.
Molina is a wonderful lead, presenting as confident and assertive yet kind and affectionate to his son, it’s devastating to see him treated so poorly by boys who only see a servant, not an equal. As he turns the tables and takes joy in his initial victories, his assured confidence makes you believe it may just be possible to win this small battle. But a quickly answered call for help from the boys, in contrast to Joaquin’s unanswered pleas to his family, sees the status quo reinforced. There’s little hope for redemption for this world, a horrifying fact that resonates with America’s increasing class divides.
Five Stars