Lizzie Morgan’s 6-minute drama, Slip is a fragmentary glimpse into an unhealthy relationship. So resonantly does it realize the nuances of emotion that the impression it leaves behind is more sensory flash than articulate memory. Set on a New York night, the compact story features just two characters, introduced smack in the middle of a… Continue reading Slip: Codependency In All Its Agonizing Detail
Tag: Drama
Sunday Poem: A Portrait Of Loss And Old Trauma
An artistic feat for Aaron Markus Graf, who has written, directed, shot and edited the 20-minute film, Sunday Poem is the chronicle of loss and tragedy, seen from the inside. We follow Salomè’s perspective, watching her watch as her quietly and loudly relationship falls apart. What makes the relationship fall apart is perhaps the natural… Continue reading Sunday Poem: A Portrait Of Loss And Old Trauma
Today, I’m Happy: Living With A Mind Not On Your Side
A succinct short that efficiently gets at the heart of its message, Marcelo Mayen’s 4-minute Today, I’m Happy is centred on a character struggling with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts, and the damage they wreck on a person. The story is entirely internal. There is no dialogue, only a running inner monologue, voiced by Ella… Continue reading Today, I’m Happy: Living With A Mind Not On Your Side
Journey Home: Finding The Roads To Recovery From Trauma
The night before their wedding anniversary, Hannah wakes to find her husband awake and restless. She does not say anything. This practice of being a silent spectator has continued for months. He is a war veteran, and Hannah does her best to make things easy for him, even if she does not always know how… Continue reading Journey Home: Finding The Roads To Recovery From Trauma
The Four Walls of Charlotte Moreland: Accurate Portrayal Of Abuse And Recovery
A prominent feature of abusive relationships is gaslighting; and the inevitable consequence of being gaslighted is an utterly destabilised sense of self and confusion. Joe Benedetto and Alison Stover’s 23-minute drama The Four Walls of Charlotte Moreland explores the day-to-day of surviving and recovering from such a trauma. The opening scene lays out the story.… Continue reading The Four Walls of Charlotte Moreland: Accurate Portrayal Of Abuse And Recovery
Sunday’s Child: The Significance Of Acceptance
Somewhere between the two major scenes of Maisie Richardson-Sellers’ Sunday’s Child (co-written with Charlotte Casey) is an emotionally transitory scene for Esi, the protagonist, played by Chauntice Green. She is on call with her mother, a religious woman, and the conversation, sought in a moment of loneliness, shifts into something which Esi cannot hope to… Continue reading Sunday’s Child: The Significance Of Acceptance
The Gallerist: Memories Of A Gothic Romance
In his short film The Gallerist (written by Jesse Newman), Adam Holoubek invokes memory in all its subjective form. If one were to sum it up, lingering is perhaps the word that describes it best. Whether it is in touches, stares, sensation, or the very pace of the film, there is a lingering feeling to… Continue reading The Gallerist: Memories Of A Gothic Romance
Stand uP: A Family Drama About Comedy
For a film that is about comedy and is partially a comedy, Jonathan Samukange’s Stand uP is rather aptly titled with a pun. Henry, a stand-up comedian, has to break the news of his career decision to his conservative parents and, when backed into a corner, stand up for himself. It starts with a set.… Continue reading Stand uP: A Family Drama About Comedy
Awaken: On The Pains Of A Parent Leaving In Bits And Pieces
The mortality of parents comes for many as a rude, frightening shock. Suddenly, they are changed from lofty beings with the answers to mere regular people with a ticking clock. At the end of that, profound loss awaits. But, as the protagonist in Awaken discovers, loss can be a slow, agonizing process. Written and directed… Continue reading Awaken: On The Pains Of A Parent Leaving In Bits And Pieces
Lost But Found: A Slice Of Life About Two Friends
A quiet piece centred on and backed by friendship, Dianna Ippolito’s Lost But Found tackles the regrets and pain that come with the loss of a relationship. Two friends ponder on their individual heartbreaks, but now, braced by the comfort of each other, they also look toward the future with hope. It is a simple… Continue reading Lost But Found: A Slice Of Life About Two Friends