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Directed by Vasily Chuprina
Starring Jennifer Marshall, David Humphreys & Derek Dubois
Film Review by Monica Jowett
The sun shines down on a suburban house in America, where a small family eat breakfast, completely unaware they are at the beginning of a day that changes their lives. This short family drama A Morning Call, from writer and director Vasily Chuprina, is full of hints and twists, keeping you guessing from start to finish.
A family of three eat breakfast, but there is a noticeable tension between Jane (Jennifer Marshall) and her husband Bill (David Humphreys) as they do not talk to each other and avoid eye contact. Bill quickly leaves after receiving a phone call from work. Jane later talks to a friend about how different things are with her husband. However she may be right in her concerns as Bill goes to meet a mysterious younger friend, Mike (Derek Dubois) whom he has clearly got a close relationship with. Jane’s problems get even worse when the police show up at her door and tell her of a major accident.
For a short film, A Morning Call packs in many twists and turns. Is Bill cheating on Jane? Is Bill cheating with a younger man? Is Bill dead? By including different plot points, so we have no idea how the story will end up creates a more engrossing film, which makes up for the flat performances of the lead roles.
Though the emotion is still there as Jane worries about her possibly unfaithful husband or that he has died and left her and their daughter, there is a stiffness to the performances that draws us away from the tragedy on screen. However a longer film that gave more substance to the characters whilst including the family drama would provide an improved film built from an already solid short.
A good short film, with an interesting storyline suggests how important it is to communicate, even within a small family unit, so as to prevent any misinterpretation and tragedy, when in fact there is a really good outcome.
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