THE STINGING GAME *** U.K. 2016 Dir: Tessa McGinn 11 mins
THE STINGING GAME is a short film written and directed by Tessa McGinn who also stars here as two characters Steph and Bea. Opening with Alex (Mel Mills) and Steph having a wild time in bed and soon having to leave Alex due to his partner Bea coming home. There is an obvious staleness in the relationship between Alex and Bea which may explain his infidelity as is portrayed by his some what lack of interest in what she has to say. Bea arranges for her twin sister Steph to come over to her house to send over a vital document via e-mail for work. This is all a ruse to get her sister at the house where Alex makes a costly mistake that will effect all involved.
In short this film is about one mans infidelity and that your actions always has consequences. There is a song playing out throughout called ‘King Bee’ which is also sung by McGinn, showing that her talent exceeds more then just her acting ability. The editing is tightly done by Mol Smith allowing the film to flow easily by without any filler. As a whole it is well acted by all involved and shows that a well written story can be told within a short frame of time. If you like suspense films and you don’t have time to sit down and watch a feature film then the British short film THE STINGING GAME will be a good one to wet your appetite.
Review by Peter ‘Witchfinder‘ Hopkins