A Personal Errand

This is a short film set in post-Civil War America. The Story follows Henry Sullivan (Jacob Kay), a bounty hunter and former Civil War soldier wandering across America. He is on a mission to track down a wanted man by the name of Sylvester Reed (Johnathan Butler). As he travels on this personal errand, we hear the voice of his sister, Jessica Sullivan (Felicity Donnelly), reading aloud the letters that she has sent him since his return from the war. The audience hears about their estranged relationship and how he has battled to come to terms with his war experience. Henry’s work as a bounty hunter has taken him away from his family and into a life of solitude.

The fact that the budget for this film was only £250 makes the finished product even more impressive, especially since it was filmed in only 3 days. The aesthetics of the piece are well polished and make for good viewing, and the musical score adds a great deal to the action. The music is able to convey sadness and solitude as Henry goes in search of this outlaw. The locations are well chosen and give the viewer the idea that Henry is travelling through American western civilisation.

The writer and director Oliver Griffiths clearly has an interest in this period of American history, having made the film Enemies prior to making this. That too concentrated on the time of the American Civil War. This knowledge adds to the visuals of the film, with a good use of locations and costumes to represent the period. This is not a dialogue-heavy script, which is expected considering a large part of the film centres on Henry being on his own. The use of a voice-over from his sister throughout is very effective and gives background to what has occurred before Henry’s travels. The director uses the camera to really encapsulate the landscapes and to convey the great wilderness. He clearly has an eye for picturesque scenery and the sounds of the wild.

Jacob Ray holds the screen well, an accomplishment given the lack of dialogue and action for the most part. The camera focuses on the small details of what Henry is doing, and we, the audience, can see his thoughts in the expression on his face. When there is dialogue, Jacob Ray uses his voice to convey the pain he is feeling to great effect. Johnathan Butler adds menace to his scenes and portrays the cold emotion of his character. The scenes between the two characters stand out and are realistic. The British actors successfully take on the American accent throughout.

Overall, this is a really good short film, well written and directed. The actors bring their characters to life, and the landscape is stunning. The story will hold the audience’s interest, and there is enough action despite the film being only 17 minutes long. The plot is well thought out, and the ending pieces everything together. Fans of the western genre will get the most out of this, but it’s not essential to have prior knowledge of the period.

The film was selected for numerous film festivals throughout 2022 and 2023, including being screened in competition at the 2022 Almería Western Film Festival.