In Shane Cibella and Tim Aslin’s thriller short 5.7 Seconds, we’re never sure what dangers lurk in the not-so-distant future.
Jane (Stante DeLoach) is a young woman being pursued by an unknown entity. Her only refuge is an abandoned car. Desperately searching for the keys, Jane realizes she is not alone. Erik (Henry Hetz) is in the back seat. With screaming in the background and a random onlooker staring into the vehicle, Erik offers to help Jane find the keys…but can he be trusted?

“Desperately searching for the keys, Jane realizes she is not alone.”
5.7 Seconds refers to how fast their vehicle can go from 0 to 60 MPH. Safety in seconds, but ironically, 5.7 Seconds is about the dangers that lurk in the shadows intent on harm, particularly for women. The sense of being followed, the anxiety that comes with a stranger approaching too close, and chance meetings with a potential sheep in wolf’s clothing.
Filmmakers Cibella and Aslin turn the thriller genre into a cautionary tale. Somehow, they manage to tell an incredibly tense story in the confines of a car. Lead actors DeLoach and Hetz give us a lesson in building tension and playing a game of 3D chess when it comes to trust, distrust, and survival.