Lowdown is a dark little thriller about two couples and the secrets they keep. The movie is so atmospheric and fraught with tension that I can't believe this is a standalone three-minute film. At first I figured it was just a clip from a feature film, but nope, this is a self-contained short. It brings to mind some of the mind-f**ks going on in such David Mamet films as House of Games and The Spanish Prisoner, but in some ways that's an unfair comparison. Mamet can't shoot for s**t, while the director of Lowdown, Christian Grüner, is an accomplished image-maker.

After an opening title card that's a little hard to read - it says "a story of pros and con games" - Grüner drops us into the film's one and only setting: A darkly lit dining room, with a striking light source coming from the table. Isabel and Steve are playing a game with their friends. Isabel draws a card that says, "Did you ever have s*x with your best friend's partner?" Before anyone can answer, a few subtle clues give the truth away. It's quite brilliant the way Isabel figures it out. It reveals how much thought went into telling this story in a matter of minutes.

What's a little less convincing is what happens next. Isabel pulls out a gun and gives Steve two options: He can either do nothing, thus revealing himself as an adulterer; or he can play Russian roulette and prove his love. I'm not sure this makes perfect psychological sense. Doing nothing only proves Steve doesn't have a death wish - it doesn't prove he cheated on his wife. The point may be that she's temporarily insane and he agrees to her terms to "prove" his love.

At any rate, this is a very finely crafted film. The slow dolly shots around the table draw us into the situation. It's hard to have four people sitting around a table and make it look interesting. Tonally and visually, Lowdown is pretty much flawless.