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average rating is 4 out of 5

Critic:

Jason Knight

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Posted on:

Aug 8, 2023

Film Reviews
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Directed by:
Lauren Hoover
Written by:
Mariasha Altynbay
Starring:
Mariasha Altynbay, Brandon Sklenar, Spencer Waldner, Finn Roberts
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A woman reminisces about her past relationships.

 

This short emotional drama has a clever narrative structure. The screenplay follows a young couple consisting of Lea (Altynbay) and Vincent (Sklenar) as they spend the day together, going to the park, relaxing and generally enjoying themselves. Throughout the day, Lea keeps remembering former relationships with two other men and compering them with her current partner. Her past boyfriends are shown in flashbacks that tend to imitate situations that are occurring in the present. For instance, in one scene Vincent is offering Lea a drink and the film cuts to a flashback of a former partner performing the same action. This clever technique indicates that Lea is comparing her previous life with her current and that she might miss it or even prefer it to what she has now.

 

The atmosphere is uplifting and melancholic at the same time, showing the joys Lea has with Vincent and suggesting that she misses people from her past. The theory that she is currently unhappy or at least not sure that she is content is evident by the occasional subtitles that appear in present scenes, revealing her thoughts, which are negative. Generally, the whole narrative alternates between the past and the present, blending them together.

 

Lea is a character who seems to be going through a lot of self-reflection. Although things between her and Vincent appear to be OK, she thinks about the past and is unsure whether she is with the best partner she could have and whether ending a previous relationship was a mistake.

 

Director of photography Zach Fritz develops outstanding cinematography and K. Spencer Jones does a magnificent job with the editing that swiftly moves the viewer between the past and the present. Particular praise goes to a creative editing sequence that involves wipe techniques, making the camera jump from one face to the next. The filmmakers make effective use of slow motion and the music is one of the film's strongest aspects, containing beautiful piano melodies and building dramatic scenes.

 

This short could be described as a romantic drama and one that is seen through the eyes of a young woman who believes that her life may not be as good as it could had been. It is a moving story with strong acting and one that explores romance, regrets and nostalgia.

About the Film Critic
Jason Knight
Jason Knight
Short Film
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