A Good Death - A Short Film Review

By Justin D Williams

When Amalia, a devoted death doula, arrives at the home of her new clients, she immediately begins to feel that something is very wrong. At its heart, A Good Death explores the delicate space between compassion, acceptance, and moving on. We see this through the lens of Amalia, played wonderfully by Tracie Thoms. Amalia is a death doula, which means her job is to help people who are going to the afterlife be more comfortable with death. This setup was really good to create a sense of tension and dread for Amalia's character. The film keeps things minimalist when it comes to full-blown exposition, but writer and director Kaz Ps gives you enough to understand the backstory of our characters, Amalia and her clients, Tabitha, played by Stefanie Estes, and Gertrude, played by Jenny O'Hara. The sense of dread kicks in once Tabitha enters the picture. Stephanie Estes immediately gives you that something-is-off vibe with her manners, her look, and her tone. No spoilers in this review, but when you see her, you will know what I mean. The film builds up its tension by things that are unspoken, body mannerisms, lighting, and environment well here.

This choice gives the story a more natural feel when the tension reaches its peak. The story touches on those themes of death, letting go, and loss, especially with Amalia's backstory. Director Kaz Ps doesn't lean into jump scares or beat you over the head with the message of the film. There is restraint here, quiet pauses to let the tension breathe, close-ups, and good use of colors in here for a particular scene. The pacing takes its time letting you feel the discomfort that Amalia isn't picking up.

Final Rating: Overall, A Good Death is a fun short film with tension, a sense of dread, and the subtle storytelling and great acting make it a short to see. The pacing is a build-up up so if you're expecting jump scares or music cues to make you jump, you're not going to find that with this horror short. This one is a win, check out the film at HollyShorts.

HollyShorts Link

https://hollyshorts2025.eventive.org/films/68780d1d7bf1cb3786b09519