Romans 13:8

The writer-director Victor De Almeida attempts to raise several perspectives in the minds of the audience with the intricate script and through the two male protagonists Priest (Victor Mellors) and Lover (Francesco Roberts).

The plot of Romans 13:8 revolves around a Priest who struggles to choose between the love of his life and his faith.

The film opens with a blurred long shot of a man walking into the camera followed by the opening credits coming on the screen building up a sense of mystery for the audience to maintain interest in the content. The white font utilised for the name of the short film has a connotation of purity, innocence, and simplicity that elevate the essence and mood of the film followed by making the life lessons integrated into the narrative more meaningful. The set design, the black-white colour pallet with a hint of natural lighting, sound, dialogues, costume, hair, makeup, and props mimics the culture as well as the rituals of Christians transporting the audience into the era where the short film is set.

In terms of performance, Victor Mellors plays the Priest who wants to strike a balance between his professional duties and personal commitments and the emotional combat is pretty evident. Mellors with his acting skills depicts the dilemma of always choosing the right choice effectively by adopting a certain body language, voice modulation, facial expressions, and eyes that communicate what the Priest is going through making it real and relatable for the audience to watch.

Francesco Roberts plays the role of the lover. The casting for the part is perfect as Roberts can portray the sensuous and emotional chemistry allowing the audience to develop an interest in the film. The screen time for the actor is less but he assists the viewers to conclude and interpret the movie in the way they want to.

Romans 13:8 poses more questions related to perceptions regarding love and sins and the importance of God in every human who believes in his power and mercy. The short film talks about not having any set definition of love or sin and depends entirely on thinking of people. The dramatic piece discusses the significance of staying true to one’s feelings because if one is not happy and honest to self then one cannot be truthful to God in life. The cinematic piece also reiterates the fact to the audience that in any relationship commitment is crucial one has to fulfil all the duties and responsibilities towards it for all their lives.

I want to appreciate the writer-director Victor De Almeida for delivering such a significant message and handling an important yet sensitive topic so subtly even in a very short running time of the creative piece.