Wordless, woeful DESTRUCTION MAKES THE WORLD BURN BRIGHTER asks – how far would you go to save the one you love? Set in a not too distant future, full of disease and war, DESTRUCTION MAKES THE WORLD BURN BRIGHTER takes a secret, “shameful” existence and turns it into a love story. It’s only a bit fitting (note sarcasm) that the couple we follow happens to be two women. What a lovely metaphor.

Alexandria Benoit as Eve drives the action of DESTRUCTION…, trying so desperately to keep her love Jane (Keeya King) safe in a world that is out to get them. Eve hits the streets, attempts petty crime, absolutely everything she can think of to provide. The world of DESTRUCTION… is cold, dark, and frightening. Benoit wordlessly expresses both pain and strength as she navigates it alone in a quest for supplies and hope. King, unfortunately, doesn’t have much to work with in terms of character, but her presence is lovely nonetheless. There is a great deal of chemistry between these two, and their love is simple and sweet throughout.

I admire and appreciate the extremely stripped-down, low budget aspect of DESTRUCTION…. In doing some quick research on the film I found the production’s Facebook page and was encouraged to see that the film was shot in just two days, with a skeleton crew. As a filmmaker, I’ve been on all size sets with all kinds of budgets, and there’s an intense family aspect to shoots like this one. It’s my opinion that that directly translates to the film you see on screen, and the intimacy a film can create. The credits even begin with “Directed, Shot, and Cut by Kalen Artinian”. Just crediting your writer/director/cinematographer like that tells a perfect story of run and gun independent filmmaking. Bravo to the DESTRUCTION… team – from Director down to the last PA – you are living the dream, and I am sure this is just one of a series of festival appearances for this film.

7/10 stars