7 HOURS

“It draws you in and captures your attention with a perfect balance of drama and intrigue.”

Roberto and Tommaso, father and son, share a long night road trip, hoping to recover their now-faded relationship.
What they face on the journey itself is, for them, more important than their destination.

Director Vittorio Amodeo short dramatic film ‘7 Hours’ is everything you hope for in a short film and excels in every aspect. This film was truly a delight to watch and more importantly review as it gave us the opportunity to acknowledge the cast and crew properly and explore why it works so well.

From the very first scene, it’s clear that a talented team is at work behind the lens. The nostalgic and classic cinema look of the film sets it apart in itself and is done tastefully with total precision, demonstrating the attention to detail from the team. Amodeo has a clear vision with the film and executes it perfectly, allowing for a lot of the story to be told in silence instead of needless exposition. Amodeo draws you in and captures your attention with a perfect balance of drama and intrigue.

Director of Photography Nicolò Gabbana brings a lot to the table with this film and it’s easy to see why. The visuals are incredibly dynamic and well thought out with plenty of creativity. The use of light within the film really elevates the production and creates a compelling stage for the performances. The car scenes in particular are stunning and capture some truly dramatic moments. Some of the best camera work we’ve seen!

As for the cast, both Alessio Curzi ( Tommaso) and Stefano Panzeri (Roberto) are wonderful to watch. They clearly understood their characters and held a great deal of their performances behind the eyes so as not to give away too much too soon. It really helped craft the characters arc as the viewer becomes more infested. Both actors deserve acknowledgment here as they play off each other incredibly well and tell the story with passion, depth and complete authenticity.

Another big part of why the film does so well is the score from composer Claudio Salvietti. Every note seems to have a purpose and connects with both the style of the film and the characters emotional journey. The retro direction of the score is a great choice and adds to the theme of the film. It’s both powerful and full of passion, making the perfect addition to the equally inspiring visuals.

If there is anything to take away from this film, it’s that the cast and crew behind it are passionate filmmakers with bright futures. We say this because 7 Hours is in fact a student film which will likely surprise many viewers. We want to make it clear that this is not just a great student film but and great film overall…

— APEX Film Awards