DIVERTIMENTO is a short film kinda about chess that owes a lot to the style of Christopher Nolan. While that style carries the twenty-eight-minute short, making it enjoyable, the film is not quite the checkmate that director Keyvan Sheikhalishahi hoped for.
The story mechanism in DIVERTIMENTO is the reason to watch. It works splendidly, keeping the audience guessing as the Russian Doll’s layers continuously change at a breakneck pace. Also, almost all of the technical components of this film soar, especially the music by Gréco Casadesus and Gregory Cotti. Their soundtrack adds an extra layer of suspense as we await what should’ve been a shocking conclusion. DIVERTIMENTO ties everything up neatly. However, it was less potent than I wanted it to be. The character motives in the last five minutes don’t quite justify what came before it.
DIVERTIMENTO is a good game worthy of a “knight” of chess audiences will remember.
I watched a press screener for DIVERTIMENTO, and here’s to it coming to a streaming platform soon!
