MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Crossbow

Crossbow

2007 · 14 min

A quiet, dread-soaked suburban slice of life where the title hangs over everything and the slow visuals make the inevitable ending feel like a countdown.

Tagline
A kid. His mum and dad. The sex and drugs. And the boy next door who watched the whole thing unravel.
Overview
In Crossbow the spoiler is right in front of you, there in the title. A crossbow is an anachronistic device and does not, at least in my mind, lend itself well to analogy or metaphor. In spite, or, more accurately, precisely because this ominous title hangs over the very start of viewing, the short film remarkably sustains a growing dread throughout its languid narration and slow-moving, though arresting visuals; maximizing its force not through the promise of surprise but through the inevitability of its conclusion.

Search YouTube for the trailer

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
    Pacing
    slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
    Attention
    engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
    Themes
    • family
    • isolation
    • coming-of-age
    • trauma
    Places
    • suburbs
    • home
    Era
    contemporary
    Audience
    adult
    Form
    None
    Content intensity
    • Gore none
    • Language mild
    • Violence mild
    • Sex mild
    All scales, 0 to 10
    Scales, 0 to 10
    ScaleValue0 to 10
    Action1
    Horror3
    Humour1
    Realism8
    Romance0
    Tension7
    Darkness7
    Complexity5
    Emotional weight7

    More like this

    Titles like Crossbow

    Movie

    Sweet Boy

    2026

    A hushed, uneasy slice of suburban adolescence that simmers with unspoken conflict and leaves you holding your breath.

    Slow-burn · about family and isolation

    Via
    • family
    • isolation
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    16 min
    Details In your watch list
    Sweet BoyHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Ditch

    2017

    A quiet, uneasy slice of suburban life that drifts rather than resolves, asking patience as it studies two people quietly slipping away.

    Slow-burn · about family and isolation

    Via
    • family
    • isolation
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    19 min
    Details In your watch list
    DitchHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Chato

    2017

    A short, quietly tense slice of childhood trauma where a boy's impossible choice weighs heavier than any confrontation.

    About family and isolation

    Via
    • family
    • isolation
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    9 min
    Details In your watch list
    ChatoHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Spark

    2012

    A quiet, uneasy slice of childhood where two kids wait in awkward silence while adult business goes on out of sight.

    Slow-burn · about family and isolation

    Via
    • family
    • isolation
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    9 min
    Details In your watch list
    SparkHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Marlon

    2017

    A quiet, uneasy visit where unspoken feelings fill the space between two people.

    Slow-burn · about family and isolation

    Via
    • family
    • isolation
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    19 min
    Details In your watch list
    MarlonHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Heartbeat

    2022

    A quiet, unsettling plunge into a child's panic, told with patient observation and a lingering sense of unease.

    Slow-burn · about family and isolation

    Via
    • family
    • isolation
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    28 min
    Details In your watch list
    HeartbeatHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Don't Leave the Kids Alone

    2026

    A slow-building domestic nightmare that turns innocent play into suffocating dread, keeping you tense and uneasy throughout.

    Slow-burn · about family and isolation

    Via
    • family
    • isolation
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    97 min
    Details In your watch list
    Don't Leave the Kids AloneHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    The Glass Pearl

    2017

    A quiet, melancholic slice of life that lingers on small, desperate acts and the weight of a child's hope.

    Slow-burn · about family and isolation

    Via
    • family
    • isolation
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    16 min
    Details In your watch list
    The Glass PearlHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Bolle

    2022

    A quiet, uneasy watch that sits with a child's fear and the slow ache of a family coming apart.

    Slow-burn · about family and coming-of-age

    Via
    • family
    • coming-of-age
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    engaged
    Details In your watch list
    BolleHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Crowman

    2016

    A quiet, uneasy coming-of-age story that lingers on the harshness of rural isolation.

    Slow-burn · about family and isolation

    Via
    • family
    • isolation
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    16 min
    Details In your watch list
    CrowmanHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Anna

    2022

    Quietly intense and sorrowful, it creeps under your skin with a slow, uneasy tension and a raw emotional ache.

    Slow-burn · about family and isolation

    Via
    • family
    • isolation
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    14 min
    Details In your watch list
    AnnaHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Best Man

    2000

    A quiet, observant short that sits with a girl forced to grow up too fast, heavy with unspoken sadness.

    Slow-burn · about family and isolation

    Via
    • family
    • isolation
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    17 min
    Details In your watch list
    Best ManHidden from your suggestions.

    Where to watch in the UK

    No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

    Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

    Details

    Genres
    drama
    Directed by
    David Michôd
    Written by
    David Michôd
    Starring
    Joel Edgerton, Lisa Chappell, Cy Standen, Mirrah Foulkes, David Michôd, Luke Doolan, Nash Edgerton, Dan Roche
    Cinematography
    Greig Fraser
    Runtime
    14 min
    Country
    Australia
    Languages
    English

    TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata