Red Ash (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

A man dressed in a black suit, known only as Brother (Martin Docherty), looks for a game of soccer on a Red Ash pitch. Traumas come to light as he desperately searches for someone with whom to play against. 

Nine minutes might seem incredibly short, but it’s almost a bit too long for Red Ash. A more concise telling of this story would have been more effective. To more quickly be drawn into the film, then struck by the meticulous storytelling toward the film’s conclusion would have left more of a mark. The opening four or five minutes of the film provide very little exposition, and really only allow us to see the character known as “Brother,” meaning that nearly half of the film is spent contributing very little to the greater scope of the production. Red Ash is still a strong film, but it lacks the necessary conviction in the early going. 

Shot almost entirely in black and white—with just the slightest hints of color veiled by that monochrome—Red Ash doesn’t quite live up to its name. The red of the pitch can’t be seen; but there are levels to the crimson’s absence. On one hand it’s frustrating not being able to see this titular aspect of the film. On the other hand, however, this creates something of a void for Brother, as he attempts to come to terms with all that he’s missing. It does take some time for viewers (including myself) to make this connection, but I’d like to believe that Writer-Director David Arthur had the latter in mind when developing Red Ash. Clearly Brother has a strong connection to the soccer pitch, to the sport and what it represents for him—but the bond that once existed among himself, the field, and an unknown third party has faded from his life. The powerful metaphor buried beneath the surface is enough to make this film great, and I think it does. 

The entirety of Red Ash is spent attempting to get viewers inside the head of Brother, to understand what he’s thinking and feeling. Eventually we are able to enter his mind, understand him, and appreciate him. Again, seemingly every piece of Red Ash is meant to make this possible, and the fact that the entire film takes place in one confined area is no coincidence. Like a prison, Brother is incapable of going anywhere else—we are stuck to him like glue throughout the duration of the film, and that, again, allows us to understand his mental state, appreciate all that he is and has experienced. 

Even though Red Ash is a bit drawn out in the early going, it’s a relatively concise short film that analyzes the psyche of someone who has just experienced a traumatic loss. His fractured mind remains front and center, and Arthur spends the entirety of this film building it before viewers. Each of the components of Red Ash are metaphorically apt, relaying honesty in a way that I haven’t before seen. 

Written & Directed by David Arthur. 

Starring Martin Docherty, David Hayman, Jaxon Hill, Omotenola Karunwi, Michael McCardie, & Alistair Rodger. 

8.5/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING