Tension is the name of the game in 'Poison (2023)', one of Wes Anderson's four Roald Dahl adaptations to be dropped on Netflix. The short is about a British soldier in India who sees a venomous snake crawl under his bedsheet and must lie totally still so as not to disturb it and incur a bite that will surely kill him. The man's nervous assistant and a stern-faced doctor seek to aid him, all while doing their very best not to make too much noise or move too quickly. The central dynamic is enjoyably suspenseful, and the piece wrings as much uncertainty out of its concept as it possibly can. It's told with the same constant narration and stage-like scene shifting as the other three shorts in its series, but in some ways it feels like the most traditionally cinematic (perhaps primarily due to its widescreen framing) and it also features what is perhaps its director's first ever use of shaky cam to great effect. The acting is also really great, as a good portion of it is actually non-verbal despite the overall affair being unrelentingly verbal on the whole. The ending, while a little predictable in the macro sense, erupts in an unexpected and saddening way that adds a bit of subtext to everything it follows. Ultimately, this is a successful short that's as well-crafted as it is compelling and has just enough staying power to stick in your mind after its credits have rolled.
Review of Poison
