Robbie Ain’t Right No More is about a family struggling with Robbie, portrayed by Jadon Cal, a beloved son and brother who returns from military service. What should have been a happy occasion is dampened by the fact Robbie isn’t quite the person he used to be. It was written and directed by Kyle Perritt.

The acting is fine. I think some performances come off better than others. For its eighteen-minute runtime, there isn’t much dialogue for anyone to bite into. There are a lot of different accents at play here, and the dinner table feels like an accent war. Family members can have different accents, that’s just a fact, but thinking about the different levels of “southernness” in these accents drew my attention away from the story. Jadon Cal had the most difficult role and as a result, he gave the best performance. The major problem concerning the characters is we never see when Robbie was “right.” We only hear Robbie is different. The audience isn’t privy to his transformation, so there is a limit to how invested I can be in his change. A flashback would have proved beneficial. The opening scene does a good job of defining this family’s current relationship with Robbie, but the relationship between Robbie and any individual character isn’t well explored. To sum it up, Robbie Ain’t Right No More puts the story first and the characters second. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially for a short, but it does often result in character-related criticism.

Robbie Ain’t Right No More is well-paced. It felt shorter than eighteen minutes. It escalates well. It looks like a standard film, but it uses light and darkness very well. The only thing I felt watching it was an appreciation of certain elements I refuse to spoil. The practical effects look good, although the blood looks unrealistic.

I think Robbie Ain’t Right No More is alright. The subject it’s tackling is interesting and underexplored in the horror genre. The subject matter is a reason to give it a try if you’re interested, but don’t expect a genuine deep dive into what it’s like for a vet to come home.

6 out of 10