Based upon a 1995 short story by Betty Malicoat, "The Crooked Eye" is a beautifully constructed 18-minute surreal short film that follows Sharon (Fay Masterson) through her daily drudgery of living in a world where she is not as she seems and her psyche' is flooded by memories of a recently unraveled marriage.

A dreamy whisper of a film, "The Crooked Eye" features original music from Abraham Peraza and Lilia Popova that exudes an almost mystical blend of spiritual isolation and a loss of hope while remaining strangely and peacefully meditative.

"The Crooked Eye" includes an eerie yet comfortable narration from actress Linda Hunt ("The Year of Living Dangerously") essentially serving as the inner voice of Sharon. It's a gimmick that could fall woefully short, yet Hunt pulls it off perfectly and fans of Malicoat's story should be quite pleased.

"The Crooked Eye" is most likely to connect with fans of Malicoat and those able to connect with its underlying spirituality, while others may simply think "Did David Lynch direct this?" and move on. Having already screened at nearly 20 film festivals in 2009, "The Crooked Eye" is an intriguing and thought-provoking short film from D.C. Douglas and should have a long tour of the film festival circuit.