Midlands Review of Asphyxiate
midlandsmovies • April 18, 2020
Midlands Review of Asphyxiate
Asphyxiate
Directed by Nicole Pott
2020
Sonder Pictures
A woman slowly descends into a bathtub in the dark opening that starts new drama Asphyxiate from Midlands director Nicole Pott.
Followed by a violently physical sexual assault scene, the director pulls no punches to draw you into a world of deception, love and passions.
The opening sequence is one of the best I’ve seen in a local short. David Fincher style blue lighting from cinematographer Hamish Saks and an amazing transition from above to below the bath water line was a stunning introduction.
We then arrive at a dinner date between Katie (Michaela Longden, who is also the writer of the short) and Tom (Anthony Quinlan). But their loving meet-up is punctuated by edits cutting back to a darker part of their relationship.
The man stands over the woman in a dangerous home scenario of threatening words and intimidating physical contact before we’re whisked back in time to a bar as the two friendly discuss love and life.
The contrast between the two situations, past and present, is a powerful structure showing how a bond between two people can turn into a degrading spiral of harassment and torment.
Forced apologies and psychological attempts to gain sympathy sit alongside flashback scenes that slowly reveal how the seeds of this controlling behaviour were sown.
The film continues to capture the traits of male perpetrators as Katie is pushed further into isolation and her communication monitored. It also shows how an unsafe environment is created over time. Ultimatums to end the relationship soon build and build and end in threats, bullying and finally physical harm.
Pott uses juxtaposition of the actors’ proximity, dialogue and visuals brilliantly to highlight these issues. And it makes the short an excellent exploration of very serious themes about losing oneself and drowning in verbal and intimidating attacks.
Asphyxiate is uncompromising in its representation of domestic violence. However, this is crucial to sufficiently highlight the awful situation far too many women can find themselves in. With spectacular cinematic style, the short comes highly recommended, as it looks at the catastrophic outcomes of a toxic relationship in an exceptionally well-crafted film.
Michael Sales
On Sunday 26th April Midlands Movies Editor Michael Sales & awards ceremony co-host Ed Stagg (BBC Radio) announced the nominations for the 2026 Midlands Movies Awards live from the Queen of Bradgate Vintage Cinema in Leicester. A big thanks was given to the entire Jury Panel of industry experts who gave up their precious time to watch a huge selection of creative projects and as always, had a difficult time choosing from the excellent number of films from the region. You can read the full list of nominations across all 16 categories below and watch our announcement videos here: Part 1 & Part 2 And please also check out our great awards partner Chrome Video Best Actress in a Leading Role Karendip Phull for Family Kate Bracken for The Lace Rachel Baker for Throwing Fruit Chloe Wade for How Long Sophie Bullock for Ma Prison Best Animated Film Of All the Things by Steff Lee Big Red by James Pyle Statue in the Garden by Qianhui Yu Butterfly by Jacob Christie Best Director Luke Worrall for The Waterline Lily Portman for Quiet Jack Richardson for Daniel’s Room Jonathan Hawes for Sorry We’re Closed Sophia Dall'Aglio for Man from Mars Best Documentary Nothing's Impossible by Jacob Thomas McClean A Birmingham Symphony Jemma Saunders We Bring Light: Leicester's Diwali Legacy by Kieran Vyas The Sunshine Café by Jill Lampert Through the Viewfinder by William North Best Sound (Editing or Mixing) Neil Evans & his team for Artificial Insanity Alasdair Gretton for Dead on Distribution Deepanjali Patel for Earworm David Hamilton-Smith for The Pause Heidi Wilson for Of All The Things Best Actor in a Supporting Role Devon Junior for Lazar Tim Sparrow for Safety Net Shaiek Ahmed Rana for Family Luke Rollason for Quiet Peter Willoughby for A Story of Spring Best Visual & Special Effects Jake Wesley-Worrall for Soul Trader Steve Askey & team for The Correction Unit Nick Willett & Matt Burkey for Black Goat JaqD SFX MUA, Mind Magic Studios and Ben Harker for Beyond the Witching Hour Jacob Christie for Countenance Best Cinematography Gary Rogers for The Pause Laurence Mason-Guetta for Sorry We’re Closed Ian Snape for Soul Trader Ash Connaughton for Daniel’s Room Duane Adamoli for Surfing (nominations continue below...)
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