Apples Oranges Lemons & Limes

The writer-director Pat Mitchell is a self-taught filmmaker who wants to continuously learn several techniques to give his audience a fresh perspective on the youth and the partying culture through the two protagonists Henry(Calvin Waldau) and Natalie(Skye Marie Sena).

 

The plot of Apples, Oranges, Lemons & Limes revolves around Henry a timid young man who chronically suffers from social anxiety. At a party, an unlikely encounter inspires a night of drinking, joy, and romance.

 

In the opening sequence, long shot of Henry Boyd in the washroom battling his social anxiety issues just before partying with friends as he wants to let loose and enjoy what he missed out on in middle school. Introducing the main character in this manner allows the audience to build an emotional connection with the content ready to embark on the journey. A house party set-up along with upbeat music and gaming gives the viewers a perfect uplift to the mood of the film with a fresh and youthful outlook on the subject matter it deals with. Pat Mitchell utilises the technique of hybrid genre to combine romance, drama, comedy, suspense, and thriller to add the elements of realism and relatability among the younger section of the viewers allowing them to learn some valuable lessons from the film.

 

In terms of performance, Calvin Waldau plays the male protagonist Henry Boyd a shy guy who now wants to explore various aspects of life like romance, drama, and adventure with the second chance he has got. Waldau understands the nuances of his character. The dressing style, hair, makeup, body language, dialogues, and expressions all mimic someone who is in the stage where people get confused about their aspirations and dreams in life. With his brilliant acting skills, Calvin Waldau has proved that he has a very strong screen presence which helps him to demand the attention of the audience each time he features in the scene. The chemistry between Waldau and Sena appears to be natural and makes them shine all through the performance.

Skye Marie Sena plays Natalie Newman the love interest of Henry. Newman is a very beautiful and popular girl yet faces her struggle in middle school not known to anyone. Sena’s portrayal drops many truth bombs for all the girls busting many myths people have concerning beauty or popularity. The carefully written conversations between Henry and Natalie help the actress to add multiple layers to her character both emotionally and look wise making it interesting for the viewers to decode the same and eagerly wait for the climax.

 

Apples, Oranges, Lemons and Limes talks about devising one’s personalised mantra to combat social anxiety issues as it is different for different people and the methods used by one may or may not work for the other person. The short film reiterates that popularity and being beautiful do not mean that life would be free from all problems. The suspense thriller restates that one should be courageous enough to give love a second chance and not hide romantic feelings due to a bad experience in the past. The romantic drama tells that people shouldn’t be competing in the race of fitting in but trying to be not afraid of true to what they are is the best policy in life. The cinematic piece also discusses the significance of taking responsibility for our happiness ourselves rather than putting the burden on their shoulders for the same can be detrimental to the relationships we share with them.