Secret

Secret follows two brothers, Samuel (Dylan Tyler) and Alex (Maro DeLo), as they both confront buried emotions and a revelation while preparing for their parents’ anniversary, seeking forgiveness and reconciliation. Shot on BMCC6K, the short piece portrays the bond between two brothers as they peel back the layers of a buried secret.

The most surprising aspect of the short piece is its non-linear narrative structure that focuses entirely on a buried secret between the two central characters, Samuel and Alex. On the surface, audiences expect the narrative to focus on the characters’ relationship with their parents; however, the piece rarely explores this and focuses primarily on their past. This is both a detriment and a positive of the experience, as one of the film’s biggest issues is its lack of characterisation. Firstly, the interactions between the two brothers feel unnatural due to stilted line delivery and lack of chemistry, and both central performers struggle to convey the intricacies of Samuel and Alex’s relationship. Secondly, the dialogue is incredibly unengaging due to cringe-worthy writing and a lack of character development that would flesh out the bond and the dispute between Samuel and Alex.

The more intimate moments, in which the characters reflect on their past, are effective. However, their impact is immediately diminished by the film’s unusually jarring musical choices, which may pull viewers out of the experience. As a result, this is easily the weakest aspect of the piece, as each musical choice is out of place and even overbearing to dialogue in certain sequences. While the music is somewhat serviceable, it fails to complement the narrative and ultimately hinders the experience, making many of the dramatic beats fail to resonate.

Franklin Genao, serving as the director and cinematographer, primarily utilises fixed wide shots of the exterior environments, while switching to medium close-ups within the more intimate scenes. The approach is effective, lending a sense of intimacy to the characters and allowing each performance to stand out despite its shortcomings. Perhaps the greatest aspect of the piece is the editing, which feels incredibly fluid throughout. The dissolves feel organic, and each sequence is given exactly the right amount of time to unfold. Despite how well constructed the edit is, the narrative and other technical aspects of the piece unfortunately fail to land.

The performances across the board are unfortunately serviceable at best due to a lack of chemistry and grating dialogue. Dylan Tyler and Maro DeLo’s portrayals of Samuel and Alex, respectively, are incredibly underwhelming as they both fail to convey their broken relationship. The film rarely explores Samuel and Alex’s relationship in any meaningful depth, instead centring on a baffling and underdeveloped love triangle that detracts from the experience. Weighed down by awkward dialogue, it reduces its themes of forgiveness and reconciliation to a largely forgettable treatment.

While the themes of brotherhood are emotionally resonant on paper, it ultimately isn’t given enough breathing room to explore the characters’ relationship and dispute in depth. The more dramatic moments of conflict fail to resonate because of these shortcomings, which is particularly disappointing given the nuance of the ideas at their core.

Secret is undoubtedly a mixed bag, thanks to its collection of engaging ideas that, sadly, fail to be executed on screen. While the direction and editing by Franklin Genao are commendable, the experience is undermined by stilted performances and baffling musical choices that become incredibly jarring and frustrating by the conclusion.