A Chaotic Story With Unexpected Tenderness

Read Time:4 Minute, 46 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
As i Believe the World to Be
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Genre: Thriller, Drama, Short
Year Released: 2023
Runtime: 12m
Director(s): Spooky Madison
Writer(s): Spooky Madison
Cast: Julie Carney, Timothy J. Cox, Anthony Dain, Veronica Halko, Dylan Hughes, Ashlee Lawhorn
Where to Watch: available to watch now, here: www.youtube.com

RAVING REVIEW: Short films thrive when they condense ambitious ideas into concise storytelling, and AS i BELIEVE THE WORLD TO BE does just that. Written and directed by Spooky Madison, the project was born from creative constraint: competitors were given a theme and a prop and had only a month to turn the concept into a finished film. The result is a thriller that blurs the line between reality and imagination, a compact story in which a writer tests the limits of chaos one mind can conjure before the world pushes back.

The film follows a neurodivergent protagonist who begins writing a story about a hired henchman whose assignment goes off track. But as she writes, imagination and reality overlap. Soon, the story isn’t confined to her pages—it consumes her world, pulling her into questions about whether she controls the narrative or if the narrative controls her. This layering of writer, character, and audience gives the short its intrigue. Instead of being a straightforward hit-gone-wrong tale, the film asks whether love, chaos, and control are ever truly separable.

Julie Carney leads the cast with a performance that anchors the film’s surreal premise in humanity. Playing a character driven by both yearning and disorder, she strikes a balance between vulnerability and volatility. Her neurodivergence is portrayed not as a quirk, but as a core aspect of the character’s struggle with control, connection, and desire. Timothy J. Cox and Anthony Dain round out the ensemble, their work lending the project a sense of tension that complements Carney’s unpredictable energy.

The film effectively utilizes its budget. Shot in Columbus, Ohio, the locations give it a lived-in quality that makes the reality/fiction blur all the more disorienting. There’s an intimate, almost theatrical quality to the staging, as if we’re watching a play that refuses to stay on its stage.

Madison’s writing is the heart of the piece. The dialogue carries a certain meta-awareness, reminding us that we’re watching a story within a story. At times, that framing device feels less essential than the character study at its core. The henchman subplot, while a useful catalyst, occasionally fades into the background once the focus shifts more squarely onto the writer’s own unraveling. But the thematic reverberation remains: stories can be both lifelines and traps, and the act of creation can expose a person’s deepest contradictions.

What works best is the film’s refusal to provide an easy resolution. The protagonist is given a chance to fall in love, but Madison poses the question: Is this connection stabilizing, or does it risk triggering even more destruction? That uncertainty makes the film stay with you. For some viewers, the ambiguity may feel like an unfinished thought, but others will appreciate its refusal to spell things out.

AS i BELIEVE THE WORLD TO BE also speaks to creativity under constraints. With only a month of preparation, the film successfully builds an atmospheric world and weaves in thoughtful themes. This is no small feat, considering how many short films falter by failing to reach their full potential. Madison’s touch suggests an instinct for how to use limited resources effectively while still aiming for layered storytelling.

If there’s a critique, it’s that the audio and technical don’t always match the strength of the writing and performances. But those rough edges don’t erase the core appeal—the film resonates because its characters feel authentic and its story sharpens into a psychological exploration rather than just a twist-driven short. It’s a film that, while not perfect, holds its own with passion and precision.

AS i BELIEVE THE WORLD TO BE, lands in that middle zone of strong concept, solid execution, and room for refinement, it represents the kind of short that is more promising than perfect—one that demonstrates Spooky Madison’s ambition and leaves you curious about what they could do with a larger canvas and more in-depth resources. It’s imperfect, yes, but in ways that make it all the more interesting. Enjoy the ride and experience it!

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[photo courtesy of FINALGHOUL FILMS, STUDIOBSCURA]

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