Rogue Cinema - Anamnesis (2006)

Anamnesis (2006) - By Jordan Garren
Posted on Friday, December 01 @ Mountain Standard Time by Duane

It seems that every other week, Rogue Cinema's editor Duane L. Martin, sends out an e-mail to the RC writing staff concerning available screeners. When the chance to review Anamnesis came up, I was first in line! The chance to review a boxing film (that doesn't star Sylvester Stallone) for this magazine was just too good to pass up! (Besides, I absolutely love films concerning boxing!) This ten-minute short film centers around two nameless fighters. As they step into the ring and begin exchanging blows, both fighters call upon painful memories to up the ante. One fighter was abused by his father and we see scenes of him getting beaten by his redneck daddy as he dukes it out with his opponent. The other fighter was brutally beaten and bullied by a gang of kids, probably for being the only black kid in an all white community.

As the fight heats up, the flashbacks begin to come on faster and harder and then the movie suddenly ends as the final bell is rung! (Damn it, who won?!) Anamnesis is a wonderful short film that cuts right to the chase. It examines a fighter's mentality and creates moments of genuine drama, but at the same time it gives viewers what they really want: a well-choreographed, no-holds barred boxing match! Anamnesis is a gripping short film and I couldn't peel my eyes away from the screen. The photography was wonderful, the editing superb, and the fight choreography was nothing short of excellent. Director/producer/editor Brendon Foster-Algoo (and fellow producer Barry Choi) have created a mini-masterpiece here, and I can only hope that they make a full length feature based on this short film. There's plenty of potential for a great story here, and it'd be great to have more backstory and character development for the film's fighters. Anamnesis definitely gets my stamp of approval!

As far as I know, Anamnesis isn't available on DVD right now, but you can gather further information on the film over at Neutral Density Films.