If I'm going to be frank, I found the story of Amelia and Michael just a little bit on the dreary and depressing side for my liking: an affluent married couple's relationship is on the verge of collapse, the wife (Natasha Powell) sneaking off to visit her motorcycle-riding bit of rough on the side, who is in intensive care after an accident, and the husband (Anthony Head) indulging in a spot of hanky-panky with a high class escort girl. Told at an extremely leisurely pace by director Daniel Cormack, this brief insight into a private world of secrecy and lies is very low on the feel-good factor: after eleven minutes, nothing has been resolved, leaving this particular viewer feeling a tad morose.But although this low-key character study could never be described as cheery, Cormack's keen understanding of his medium still makes this a worthwhile watch, especially for those interested in the technical aspects of film: from careful shot composition and camera placement, to precise editing, to considered use of music and subtle lighting, this is a highly accomplished piece of movie-making in almost every department.Take the opening shot, for example, which has Cormack's characters sat at either edge of the screen with nothing much happening in the middle; at first I had this down as sloppy framing, but felt a bit of a twit once it became clear that the space between characters was not a clumsy mistake but rather a clever metaphor for how husband and wife have become emotionally detached from each other (the same trick is used as the couple get ready to go to bed). This level of visual acuity can be found throughout Amelia and Michael: the potentially sensational material—the sex and death—is dealt with sensitively using subtle suggestion rather than blatant imagery; Michael's regret is powerfully handled in a tightly edited sequence that sees him unable to sleep in the bed in which his act of infidelity took place; and muted colours reflect the monotony of the situation while a neat cyclical narrative device—the appearance of a motorcyclist—effectively conveys hopelessness.

Amelia and Michael (2007) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Extremely well-made short about an upper class married couple, Michael (Anthony Head) and Amelia (Natasha Powell), who appear to have everything but both are leading a secret life. When he's supposed to be on a business trip, Michael is in a hotel room with a prostitute while his wife is also with a lover except this one is in a hospital in a coma. I probably watch over two or three hundred short films a year and after a while they all pretty much bleed together so it can be hard finding one that's rather original. Back in the 20s, 30s and 40s major studios did a fantastic job with them because they were in high demand but in the past few decades it seems anyone can make a short and release it. The shocking thing about AMELIA AND MICHAEL is how incredibly well-made it is. I'm really not sure what the budget was but this every bit like an expensive studio film because the cinematography really brings everything to life. What really works so well here is the direction by Daniel Cormack because unlike so many young filmmakers he's not trying to make his film feel cool or something you'd catch on MTV but instead he really tries to tell a story and develop a couple characters. You might say big deal to that but it's very rare for so much to happen in just a 10-minute movie and I give the director credit for keeping the film at a slow pace, building up drama and most importantly building up the sadness in these two people's lives. I thought it was this overall sadness of the characters that really exploded out of the film and the slow pacing really helped this. I was very impressed with the two leads who brought a lot to their roles. Both really help bring the characters to life and it's not usual seeing such fine performances in a short like this. There's no question that the director has an eye to building up a story without feeling the need for silly fast cutting or constantly having the camera moving to try and build up some sort of style. The film certainly isn't a masterpiece but it's highly well-made and effective.

In London, the executive Michael (Anthony Head) and his wife Amelia (Natasha Powell) have successful upper class lifestyle, living in a comfortable house, having a fancy car with driver and showing a great respect and affection to each other. However, Amelia has a lover in coma in the hospital, and she frequently visits him and pays the expenses of his treatment. While traveling to Milan in a business trip, Michael has one night stand with an escort girl. Amelia receives a phone call, and when she arrives in the hospital, she realizes that her lover has died. When Michael returns from Milan, their lives return to their hypocrite routine."Amelia and Michael" has only 10 minutes running time, but director Daniel Cormack is able to perfectly compile and disclose the masks of the wasted relationships in his short. The tight and sharp screenplay uses ellipsis to unravel the hypocrite and accommodated relationship of a middle-aged couple, but unfortunately it is not possible to develop how their affective lives have become so shallow. I know the actor Anthony Head from Buffy series, and I really liked his performance in a dramatic role. Natasha Powell is unknown for me, but has also a great performance. The stylish cinematography and lighting are impressive for a low-budget short, and I liked the last scene with the reference of the motorcycle passing by Amelia's car indicating that their lives will remain the same. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): Not Available

Amelia and Michael are a successful couple who outwardly have everything they could want. A good home. A classy car with a driver. High-flying careers. However their marriage is one of discrete politeness where once there would have been intimacy and both harbours secrets about the other.I was away for work recently and had access to broadband (which believe it or, this particular internet geek does not have in his home) and decided to take up an invitation to watch another film from Daniel Cormack. The first film I had seen from Daniel had not really impressed me much but I was curious to see more from him. This short film was a much better calling card for him as it showed much more style and skill with the camera than "Make Me A Tory" had done. It also shows a much more subtle touch as a story teller (although that would not be hard).The film has a recognisable couple in the middle. Their wealth and comfort is probably exaggerated a little beyond what I can relate to, but the emotional heart is there – or rather the lack of it. We see both partners together looking slick, being "content" and exchanging kisses on the cheek etc as the routine has had them doing for many years. Individually though they are both seeking something elsewhere. It is here where the film frustrated me a little but not allowing me to understand the "something" that well. I didn't get who the hospitalised man was to Amelia (if anyone) and I didn't get if the conclusion of the film was "more of the same" or "all fixed now"; I choose to take it as the former, as this would be more in keeping with the film I did find the lack of detail to be a bit of an appeal as well because it left the focus on this rather unfulfilling relationship and the way that played out for the two characters. However this effect could still have been achieved with a bit of detail being delivered as well. The cast seem to be suggesting this as well. I thought Head was good but his character seemed easier to understand – not only in terms of what was going on but also in terms of the "why". Powell didn't seem so assured about her character and she was less convincing as the wife in this dead relationship (and unfortunately I do know how one acts). The two did do an OK job of convincing as a couple, but lacked that chemistry that comes when chemistry exists but has just died from lack of trying (didn't describe that very well but you know what I mean). I'm not sure if Cormack failed to deliver this aspect of Betts' script or not but I'm guessing that a lot did fall to the former to draw out given how little dialogue there was. In this area he does OK but generally as director he is impressive, with good shots, good editing and clever use of film stock coming together to make a visually polished and impressive product.Touching in its own way then and I did like the way that it allows the emotions to be mostly played out in silence in the small things – just as they are in the marriage itself. However the lack of narrative was a bit frustrating and I did think that either the screenplay needed to have more in it for the actors to work off and deliver on screen. Pretty good short film, just left me feeling like it could have gone that extra bit further and been better for it.