TV and film actor Ian Buchanan teams up with Billy Wirth in an engrossing short film, SHUTTER THE DOORS, written and directed by Sheri Sussman. In just 13 minutes, the film introduces us to a character and the moments when he is dealing with an unimaginable loss.
Sussman, who wrote and shot the film during the quarantine, cleverly drives the heartbreaking drama with dialogues between two people in an empty bar. Buchanan plays ‘Sam,’ a man who believes that nothing will ever get better in his life and thus prefers to drown his sorrows at the bar he owns.
SHUTTER THE DOORS is about a man who is going through a lot of emotional pain and grief. As we know coping with the loss of someone is the most difficult challenge anyone faces; therefore, the film’s subject matter is universal, regardless of the type of loss suggested by the film’s creator.
The melancholic score in the beginning and the darkened atmosphere in the bar build the story. Buchanan’s performance is indeed special as a man trying hard to embrace melancholy, but he is traveling with his thoughts and in such a difficult time he needs someone to hear him out.
The film is noteworthy when we consider the millions of people worldwide who suffer greatly during the pandemic. Whatever the loss, it is too intimate and personal for us, and it causes profound grief for many of us. While we are coping with the pain, there is always a ray of hope that helps us find new meaning in our lives and eventually move on.
Overall, SHUTTER THE DOORS has a serious plot that makes us think about life. Writer-director Sheri Sussman captures life in that dimly lit bar by sketching universal and authentic characters and situations in our times of loss and grief, which can be overwhelming.
Starring: Ian Buchanan and Billy Wirth
Written & Directed by: Sheri Sussman
Director of Photography: Justin Janowitz
Producers: Antonio Cortese, Adam Rex
Edited by: J. Scott Harvey
Music by: Dave Eggar/Phil Faconti
Spiral Gate Productions
If you want to learn more about Sheri Sussman, the filmmaker, and founder of Spiral Gate Productions, please visit her official website: www.sherisussman.com.
