Invincible Movie Threat

I have great admiration for filmmakers who take risks to push the boundaries of the story. Admittedly, I’m not an expert in dance or performance art, but I was fascinated by Breton Tyner-Bryan’s ability to tell a story through movement in the short film Invicta .

It is important to know a bit of back story. In New York City, among the mansions of Riverside Drive, seven mafia wives from all over the country meet at the request of an unknown blackmailer.

With a haunting score by Adrià Barbosa, our mafia wives are positioned in front of the Riverside mansion. This gathering begins cordially, but soon the daggers come out. Soon alliances are formed and broken, secret romances are revealed and all lead to the ultimate betrayal.

“…seven mafia wives from all over the country gather at the request of an unknown blackmailer.”

Invicta boasts incredible performances from members of the Breton Follies-Sian Berman, Maya Kitiyama, Emily Ulrich, Savannah Crawford, Susan Olmos Sabel, Samara Steele and Tatiana Stewart. Each performer found their individual personalities for their characters, yet were united when in a group. Their thoughts, feelings and dark motivations were beautifully expressed in their movements and facial expressions.

I will divide my criticism of the film itself between the storytelling and the performance of the film cast. My biggest issue with the cinematography was the use of the handheld camera. It starts with a pan of the wives posed on the steps of the mansion, but the camera shakes on the way down. This is a shot that should be even. Also, the shaky camera almost struggles with the artist’s movements at times.

There are also some quick cuts where an artist’s emotions change instantly. I would have much preferred to see a natural transition from one emotion to another, as if I were watching this performance live.

That said, Invicta captures the movements of the cast beautifully, especially set against Barbosa’s score. Each artist’s strengths are on full display, and I found myself completely jealous that I can’t move like that anymore.

Invicta ultimately succeeds in telling an engaging and exciting story through music and movement.