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Of course when one thinks of a Lion, one thinks of the familiar phrase ‘king of the jungle’, of their fearless majestic aura and perhaps bravery. In short film ‘Lion’, a little girl draws hope, courage, and strength from her lion-shaped soft toy, while her father fills the home with terror, and darkness.
Written and directed by Davide Melini, the 12 minute short film is a grim story of domestic violence, opening with a snowy scene of a seemingly isolated chalet somewhere. For a second, the snowy home looks like a holiday getaway home, but as soon as viewers see the interiors, the illusion is broken. The house is littered with beer cans, the atmosphere is oppressive and the man of the house is a raging mess.
From starting out as a grounded drama about an alcoholic family man terrorizing his household, Lion abruptly pivots into a gory horror-fantasy, and the shift is as jarring as it is underdeveloped. A young girl, trapped in this suffocating environment, clings to small comforts, like her lion plushie, drawings of her favorite animal around the room, while she quietly hopes for escape from her abusive father.
Will she be rescued, or will things spiral further into darkness? The film builds toward this question but resolves it almost as quickly as it raises it, landing on a disturbing twist that feels more shocking than earned. ‘Lion’ also keeps the mother’s role ambiguous, whether she is another victim or quietly enabling the abuse remains frustratingly unclear.
The performances do a commendable job of conveying the tension and fear within the household, making the premise immediately compelling. However, the film’s brief runtime works against it; just as it begins to explore its ideas, it ends, leaving the whole experience feeling more like a proof of concept or a teaser for a fuller, more fleshed-out feature rather than a complete story in itself.
Watch the trailer for ‘Lion’ on YouTube.
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