By Adam Spunberg and Savanna New

Set against the repressive backdrop of the early 1800s, Lions Among Men — a short directed by Traci Hays that’s currently on the festival circuit — is an unexpectedly moving tale of nautical intrigue, gender and race retribution, and the exaltation of freedom as a primal expression.

Our protagonist, Victoria, is a member of the British Royal Navy, having disguised herself as a man in order to don the uniform. This can’t have been an easy feat, and we never learn why she’s gone to such great lengths to serve her country — a mystery that makes her character all the more intriguing. Was she running away from something — or someone? Was her desire to fight injustice so great that she was willing to brave anything? (The idea of a woman dressed as a man after shipwreck summons comparisons to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, though the subtle difference here is that, in Lions Among Men, the shipwreck reveals her true identity.)

When the ship she’s traveling upon capsizes while in pursuit of an illegal slave-trading vessel, Victoria finds herself marooned on an island with the only apparent survivors of the wreck: Simon (Jonah Priour), a slave trader who dehumanizes Victoria as much as the people his ship was carrying; Lieutenant Fletcher (Crispian Belfrage), who betrays Victoria by making no attempt to fulfill his duty and apprehend Simon; and Tau, a West African captive from Simon’s ship who merely wants to be free.

No slave to its length, Lions Among Men manages to feel like a rich, historical epic despite clocking in at under 30 minutes. Hays makes a point of maximizing the truncated length, igniting each scene with severe importance. No moment seems like excess, no words unnecessary. Had it been a feature film, we could have seen more backstory and character development, but — like many things expertly done — it’s a diminutive main course, yet a flavorful one.

Though we don’t know the details of her personal narrative and have little time to get to know her, Victoria becomes an immediately sympathetic figure thanks to a passionate, compelling performance from Johanna Watts (In Memorium). The other standout is Dayo Okeniyi (The Hunger Games) as Tau, who manages to convey immense emotion and depth despite having few lines and speaking in his native Yoruba. It’s no secret that we were already tremendous fans of Okeniyi, but he still managed to impress us. There really are not enough superlatives for this wise-beyond-years, up-and-coming thespian.

Stories of slave trade and the oppression of women in the 19th century are nothing new, but what Lions Among Men has done that is so unique is to pair the two in a way that emphasizes the tragedy of both forms of subjugation. While Victoria’s chains may not be literal, she is bound just as firmly as Tau is, and they form an unlikely bond as they work together to escape.

Make no mistake: This is a dark picture, with brutal moments portrayed unapologetically, but its overall message is a positive one, that even in grim circumstances, there is a will to be freed from bondage, and bondage can come in many different packages. Those who escape it can still find inner peace and win a second lease on life.

You can contact Adam by email at adam@picktainment.com or tweet him at @AdamSpunberg.

Savanna can be reached by email at savanna@picktainment.com or on Twitter at @MlleNouveau.