Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

bob the moo Four men are in the back of a van with bags over their heads. They are released in a field by two armed men. Two of the men run off in separate directions only for a device on their ankle to arm then trigger, blowing their leg in half and leaving them at the mercy of the two armed men to finish off. Seeing this, one of the two remaining men (Jake) tries to ensure that the same does not happen to him.Proximity has what most short films needs, which is a great central idea which hooks you in very quickly. In this case it is the threat of death and the urgency of Jake that does it and although we do not understand the whys, the action still has good pace and keeps you involved. The cinematography is shaky but clear – it is a well used device to add urgency and excitement into the image but it is still an effective one and it mostly works here. In some ways the short and folded-in scenario helps the film be this way but on the other hand it would have been better with a bit more detail and finesse in the idea.So, for example, with four men, this "game" will almost always end with people with no legs within 100m of the truck – it is just by chance that in Jake's case his partner isn't one of the ones that run off, and I guess this is the minority of cases. The same lack of finesse is at the end of the film too because, without any context, it really doesn't mean anything other than that the writers couldn't come up with something that worked better. It still is worth a look because it is pretty tight and engaging in the way it feels urgent and tightly paced, but it really did need a bit more detail and fine-tuning around the edges to make it work better.

Joseph Alexander 'Proximity' is a short film, directed and produced by Ryan Connolly and co-written with Seth Worley. In it, an unknown organisation pits people against each other in a brutal game of cat and mouse. This short was fantastic. It's visually stunning, and the dialogue is excellent. Todd Bruno and Josh Connolly both deliver strong performances as Jake and Luke, as do the other actors in their various roles. When it comes down to it, what you've got here is a short film with a reasonably original plot that was written in only a couple of days. You've got fast paced action, you've got great acting performances from all involved, you've got visual dynamite and finally, you've a director who definitely deserves a shot at Hollywood.If that summary above appeals to you, then watch this film, it's only 10 minutes out of your life, and you will not regret it. 8/10Joseph

Ian McKay I loved Ryan Connolly's short films including Losses, Tell, and now PROXiMITY, he has a lot of talent and I would like to work with him sometime in the future. Todd Bruno pushed his performance like always to an extreme level, I love his acting and he has a lot of potential as an actor. Josh Connolly, however, wasn't as well as Todd, he over reacted in some scenes but overall did a fantastic job. This movie really had that twist at the end where I went like "Holly crap" that ending is why I gave PROXiMITY a 10/10. PROXiMITY was something I waited for for that whole week, they announced it on Monday so I set a timer so I could watch it on Thursday. It was the best short film I've seen all year and that's the way to end 2013.

Vedant Naik When I heard the film's title "Proximity", I was incredibly excited to see what Ryan Connolly was working on next. However, his latest film was disappointing to say the least. The film had crisp and wonderful visuals as well as an incredibly kinetic tone. The action was directed well and was masterfully done, considering the lack of budget and special effects.However, that's where the good parts end. The film lacked any kind of story or sub-text. From what I gathered, a group of men are driven to the middle of nowhere and then hunted down by gunmen in black. The catch? each one was shackled (literally) to a partner with bombs attached to their feet. If they move too far apart, they explode. The story had much unrealized potential and could have been great. In a film like this, the story needs to drive the film forward. I was confused and wondering what the hell I was watching for most of the time.Overall I give the film 3/10 as a critic.