Above All a Dreamer Short Film Review

alexjames96
Jul 7
2 min read

★★★★★

Starring: #ColtonCaulfield, #TiffaniGrace, #AlexanderThomas

Above all a Dreamer, a short film directed and starring Colton Caulfield the audience follows a struggling entrepreneur who is desperate to find his big break. However, nothing seems to be going right and when he discovers that he also has a brain tumour, this desperation grows into something bigger as he is willing to overpower whoever to get where he needs to, even his business partners. This dark comedy drama shows a very real representation of the dangers of following the ‘American dream’, the manipulation and dirty tactics that are involved to get what you want, as well as what can happen when it all crumbles before you. A simple business plan, or so it seems, but what can happen when you put everything into an idea, and who are you willing to screw over to become a success?

The entirety of the film is shot in black and white, with a few elements of colour here and there. Creating a lot of tension and drama to the overall ambience of the film, although, there were some witty and dark comedic elements to this piece which did alleviate some of the tension and was very funny and made the characters that much more relatable with some of the awkward encounters they faced. Nevertheless, what really shone through was the acting and characters, each character had a story, and it became clear that this project meant a hell of a lot for each of them, but for protagonist Adam he managed to take things one step further to ensure his security. Adam as a character needed to have that combination of a victim complex but also possess a manipulative and slyness to his personality. The audience almost feel empathy for his situation and until we hear his partners stories, this empathy quickly turns to frustration and anger. This is a tough character to portray; however, Colton Caulfield cleverly forms a character who has a very calculating and cold persona.

Although a simple product to pitch, the drama and the craziness that is connected to these business entrepreneurs is not your average. Arguments, threats as well as some accidental poisonings are just a few of the oddities that are at play. Some incidents may seem a little intense, but I believe this adds to the narrative in great way, it became entertaining and humorous in a dark way, it also made me as a viewer wonder just how far this can go!

Above all a dreamer is a unique, funny and in some elements tragic short film. Its allure is the journey the narrative takes you on, although not what you would expect, it certainly is entertaining with each character having their own flare to add to the story. A fabulous film, involving some risky business and what can happen when you try to follow your dreams.