I'm writing this in 2018, this short film is only 20 years old but it has that film noir feel and not just from the film itself. There was real passion in this project. Another reviewer said every penny was so well spent and I agree. Every scene has a portrait quality. You can see and feel how the film maker painted each moment in his mind and tried to bring it into reality. To me, this is art. As far as the technicals go, the editing is sharp. You never get a chance to look away. Like Bill Burr says, there is zero fat. You couldn't trim even a second off of this film, the editing is so well crafted. The camera work and photography is also sharp. Everything is well framed and looks fantastic. Also, the sound is fitting. There is static, which I don't mind and it works well with the feel of real film, but more importantly there is not a word lost. All the dialogue is clear and the places where there is soundtrack, it is done with great precision, mixed with the sounds from the scene like the rustling leaves on the ground. You can tell the filmmaker paid attention to that. There is a lot of detail here, a lot of heart, and as a viewer I really appreciated that. The scenes in the group meetings are especially compelling. They are stark and emotional. There was no money wasted on a set to distract here. The group meetings are what they are because of the dialogue and the acting. They are just pure adrenalin, angst, and uncomfortable confessions. It's a short segue from that vibe, through confusion echoed through the lead character's mind, and into the source of the story. I highly recommend Coven, and I want to see more efforts of this high caliber.

"Coven" is a black-and-white 36-minute short film from 15 years ago. The writer and director is David Borchardt and he combines the world of emotional struggles with the world of supernatural occurrences. A man (played by Borchardt as well) goes through some turmoil and decides to seek professional help, but unfortunately the group he joins are not exactly what he was expecting. This is a really weird movie I must say, script looks like it was written under the influence. I wonder how much Borchardt suffered in real and if there is an autobiographical side attached to it. In any case, I thought this dragged and was not a great watch in my opinion. Not recommended and I cannot say I am surprised that Borchardt didn't manage to build career on this fairly famous short film. I can't see much talent in here.

Its one of those movies that is just a film to some, but a powerful social commentary for others. Mark Boschardt proves himself as a capable film maker, not the man so obviously mocked in American Movie (though when asked about his portrayal in American Movie, Mark Boschardt said "They were making their own movie, I'm not going to judge it so harshly").The story is simple; a drug addict/alcoholic writer almost dies from an overdose. Hoping to stay sober, he tries out a support group which doesn't quite work for him. So he tries to stay sober on his own. This, of course, becomes impossible as we see the true nature of the support group, which drives him to further drug use in the movie (they do not take kindly to his not returning). The motivations of the group are unknown throughout the movie, and are still unclear at the end.But the moral and message of the film are clear enough. Those who are in Alcoholics Anonymous will tell you to steer clear of this film, and to quote Boschardt once more "AA feels that if you don't get help from them, or God, then you haven't gotten help at all." This movie struck close to home with me, and I was really glad to be able to meet Mr. Boschardt himself. After all, it is quite obviously a very personal film for him. 4 stars.

Mark Borchardt is the wannabe director made hartless fun off in the documentary "American Movie". Coven is his supposedly worthless movie.I watched it a week ago and thought it wasn't that bad.But wait a minute. This last week I have watched "Paycheck" and "Kill Bill Volume 1". They were really crap. Compared to them "Coven" is a masterpiece.What Coven does not have is production value. The kind of dependable thing you find in your average TV-movie. What Coven does have is artistic vision. Borchard has a camera eye for sure. The story is different for sure, an existential and delirious take on drug addiction.