"The House" is the exciting new short from 30-Something Productions, the same folks who made the feature “Afterthought.” I caught that LA Premier at AFI and was impressed with the film they made on a tight budget. In this project, Director/Writer Elford-Argent tackles the greyest, but also often the nastiest, crime by way of a young, manipulative duo and the cop who tries to bring them down. The goals of a short film are the same as that of a full-length. It’s just that you have to get to the point and get to it fast, often in the first shots. Elford-Argent drops us into the action quick. Two masked burglars, Eric Peter-Kaiser and Gwendolyn Garver, break into a wealthy home. What happens after that the Detective, Jeff Murray, has to try to figure out. The young criminals, brother and sister it turns out, seem to be playing a game of cat-and-mouse. Or are they? Through flashbacks Elford-Argent twist our heads and Murrays’ as he does his level-best to find out if these youths are luckless victims or vicious criminals.

As a showcase for the filmmakers, they pretty much deliver. Elford-Argent skills as a director were proven in "Afterthought" and he only sharpens them here. I thought the writing could have been tighter in some places but over all, it gells and delivers. Props go out to DP Jayson Crothers who delivers one beautiful shot after another. The editing was also tight although it could have been tighter near the end to slam home the climax, which composer Dave Walton sets up nicely right from the start. Kaiser has a nice, menacing aura about him, especially around the eyes. His scenes with an equally sharp Murray (who comes from an extensive theater background) stand out and generate the most tension. Garver might just be too pretty for her role. I kept thinking of a damaged waif with dark circles under her eyes and molted skin. Her robbery scenes are the best.