A Review of "Honor Council"

Honor Council, a Short Film by Scott Simonsen
Reviewed by: CJ

Honor Council is a short film written and directed
by Scott Simonsen. The story follows a non binary
teen named Wren, played by the actor Dane
Majors, who is summoned before his school’s
Honor Council (roll credits) after attacking a fellow student and infamous bully named Curtis, played by August Rodes, with an 'obscene' weapon. While Wren argues his case as being in self-defense of the rejects, the council realizes that his new and refreshing view of high school life could be beneficial to their council, and propose that he join them instead of being expelled. The film ends with Wren stepping forward to hear their verdict, leaving the possibility of there being a sequel where we find out the decision he made.
Believe it or not, as strange as the initial story may sound, it has a good message of standing up for what you believe in, as well as being true to who you are. The cinematography is actually quite good too,
especially considering the fact that this film was low budget and an amateur production. The
casting was excellently done, and the plot is as
humorous as it is real. It gives off an almost sort of Heathers vibe as well, which I greatly appreciate. However, this wouldn’t really be a review if I spent the entire time raving about how much I love the film. Even I’m willing to admit it has a few things that could stand to be improved.
For example, one of the people on the council, portrayed by Larken Bell, was not written as well as she could have been. Her sympathy and forgiveness towards Wren seemed to be explained by her religion, which was Christianity. Granted, for plot purposes, she was needed to be the voice to propose that Wren join the council and therefore keep him from being expelled, but be that as it may, it could have been executed better. To add on to her character, the writers seemed to just take an easy route to make the audience feel sympathy for her by making her a former self harmer.
cA character that was executed wonderfully, and is one of my personal favorites, is Wren. His character is snarky and likeable, as well as unique in his own way. His willingness to do anything to get his point across is truly admirable. “Since you spend half your day trying to convince all the walking-talking-selfies that rejects don’t have as much right to exist as you,” is one quote that sums up his personality fairly well.
Overall, I rate this film 4.5 obscene weapons out of five. It has great humor, a wholesome message, and interesting characters. Would I recommend this film to anyone? Yes, but only if they are open-minded and accepting of others and their choices, and if they are not sensitive to strong language. Honor Council earned its place in my favorites, and I hope it does for you too.