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★★ Stars
Directed by: #PhilipBrocklehurst
Written by: #PhilipBrocklehurst
Starring: #PhilipBrocklehurst, #MalcolmBrocklehurst
The Bridge is a simple short film which follows a young man (Philip Brocklehurst) who is burdened with some money and struggles to find a use for it. After crossing a bridge he decides to give his money away to an old homeless man (Malcolm Brocklehurst), and in doing this, finds pure joy for the act he performed.
The sentiment behind the film is lovely, especially in times like these where small acts of kindness are needed. The film is only 4 minutes long and even in that short amount of time it manages to engage viewers and make them feel sympathy for the situation of the homeless man while also conveying the pride and joy the young man feels subtly. Not to mention there is a complete lack of dialogue which makes this feat even more impressive.
While the plot isn’t very subtle, nor does it need to be, the small pieces of acting the audience gets really helps indicate how the characters feel. Yet, since the film is so short the viewers don’t get much time to be with the characters and understand there motives or backgrounds but taken as a simple story, the acting is sufficient to convey the story Brocklehurst wants to tell.
The execution of the film however could have been tighter. The cinematography is good for a low budget short film, however some of the shots linger a bit too long on the subjects for no real narrative or stylistic reason. The editing also could have been a little tidier as a lot of the cuts are rough and some unneeded.
The main jarring part of the film is the sound design, digital clips of noises are used throughout the film for things like the zipper and the man going through the rubbish. The noises themselves don’t feel natural and fail to blend and mesh with the world. Moreover, the same noise is used multiple times for the rubbish and takes the viewer out of the film as it’s noticeable unnatural. Unfortunately this is where an absence of dialogue is to the film’s detriment, as the foley becomes even more jarring.
On the whole, Brocklehurst tells an extremely simple and short story here relying on subtle emotions and a simple narrative to drive this film, while succeeding in its main goal, it unfortunately falls flat in realising that goal in a stylish and natural way.
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