Borrowed Time

A woman and her daughter pay a visit to an ill and elderly relative.

A young girl named Olivia (Clarke) arrives by train to the station where she meets her mother (Antonio), who will drive her to her grandparents. After some rather heavy drama during their journey through the countryside, they finally reach the house, where her grandfather is in bed, severely ill and unable to move or communicate.

This short is a drama that is very heavy on emotions. Things begin with a minor argument, quickly moving on to a life-threatening event. After that, there is solace and then unbearable drama. The story has a great deal of sad events, including verbal confrontations, harsh words, a terrible accident, people crying and death. It is a painful experience, and at the same time it is beautiful, with moving moments of tenderness and support. It shows that sometimes life can be very hard and that with inner strength and the help of others, one can get through it all.

The acting is superb. As the lead character, Clarke is emotional as a troubled teenager who is attached to her notebook and has an unstable relationship with her mother. Although she has her issues, deep down she is a caring individual. Antonio is equally great as her mother and the rest of the cast do a magnificent job.

Director of photography Jackie Teboul develops wonderful cinematography and composer Kirsten Price creates beautiful piano music and the song Home by Christian Reindl, Lloren and Lucie Paradis closes the film effectively.

Based on a true story, short is quite an emotional ride and it revolves around a young person and how she deals with harsh circumstances. The strong performances, dramatic sreenplay and powerful score make this achievement worthy of praise and recognition.