Michael Wong's micro short The Tattooist is under a minute and a half long, but a very thought provoking, excellent short film. It is loaded with unique aesthetics, different forms of torture and murder, music variations, and another victim. The imagery is stellar. I love how the aesthetics match/combine together. Upbeat 1920’s band music featuring a catchy drum beat and a prominent, downscaling piano plays in the background while we make our way into the tattoo shop. We turn a corner into a room with bright pink florescent lights and a woman is currently being tattooed on her back. The camera starts to spin around her, focusing on her, adding a depth of mystery. We’re slowly cutting in and out, allotting for the time that’s passing. “The Tattooist” on the neon sign was a cool, vintage touch, now the tone grows grizzly.
Multiple men and women are shown being strapped in cages, or in chairs, waiting to be murdered, and others begging for their life, or being dragged away by their hair. Each of these shots was well executed and really showed the terror and maliciousness of their attacker. The first victim is a woman being gutted but you can’t see where on her abdomen. The second we see the opposite side of a woman being bludgeoned with a chisel hammer. I love these subtle horror illusions that make your mind fill in the blanks. It adds to the terror and your imagination runs wild. They made great use of different sound effects used when going through the different murders after certain circumstances as well. We return to the first woman, and she is noticeably dead on the tattoo table. The Tattooist is dancing next to her along with the upbeat 1920’s music, and fades out.
You can watch Michael Wong's The Tattooist below and be sure to follow the film on Facebook for updates and future screenings!
