Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
On Quartile, Four Roads scores 7/10 across five categories — strongest on Plot (Above Average), weakest on Acting (Below Average).
In the absence of any physical connection, this short explores alternative forms of contact among neighbors by making use of an old 16mm camera, a zoom lens, and a few meters of expired film.
Four Roads is a genuinely singular short documentary — its use of expired 16mm film and a zoom lens to observe neighbors across physical distance during COVID quarantine gives it a deeply distinctive visual and conceptual identity. The cinematography is exceptional, transforming technical limitation (expired stock, long-lens compression) into expressive poetry about isolation and connection. Its novelty is high: the formal conceit is wholly original, merging pandemic circumstance with an almost structuralist film language. The plot is minimal by design — observational vignettes rather than narrative — which works atmospherically but limits dramatic engagement. There is no conventional acting to evaluate meaningfully; subjects are candid neighbors, so that category scores low. The ending is quietly resonant but not especially memorable, closing the loop without surprise.