Spider

"It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye," proclaims the opening plate of this very clever little short.

A couple are in a car, at the back end of an argument. "You go to far by one step," Jill tells Jack, but she hasn't seen anything yet.

We follow Jack into a petrol station kiosk. He buys the full nine yards of "make up with your girlfriend" - flowers, cute card, chocs... and a rubber spider.

Director Nash Edgerton - who also plays Jack - subtly builds the tension to snapping point. We know where the spider is and we've seen that message about the eye, so the wait is almost unbearable.

He makes excellent use of the camera within the car, bringing the audience close the action, but frequently changing the point of view to keep us hooked and engaged with the couple, sometimes using the back seat, sometimes the driver's and sometimes the passenger's but always to good effect.

It is also testimony to his excellent directing that despite the fact that the film's destination is in little doubt, Edgerton reaches it in a truly shocking, thrilling and unexpected fashion. A lesson in how to build atmosphere and wrong-foot an audience.

Plaudits must also go to Mike Seymour who oversaw very convincing special effects that are used.

Don't take my word for it, have a look over at YouTube. This got a well-deserved special jury mention at Sundance 2008.