Shall We Sit?

A young man decides to disclose some very important news to the individuals that he believes are closest to him.

Niall (Curran) has some very serious news and he has built up the courage to tell it to the people around him. On separate occasions, he takes a person (or two) to a park bench, with a takeaway hot drink, with the intention of telling them life-changing news. The people who Niall intends to talk to are his friends Paddy (Don), Francis (Ferris), Amy and Luke (Megan McArthur and Jonathan Connolly), who are a couple and Niall's girlfriend Ellen (Hill). However, things do not go the way Niall hoped they would go.

This short emotional drama focuses one person's attempts to reach out to people he knows and share some shocking news with them.Initially, Niall has trouble getting their attention and even after they learn what is going on, instead of being sympathetic and supportive, some ignore the revelation, while others get angry with him for keeping it a secret. Poor Niall is gobsmacked.

The screenplay and editing deserve big commendations. The narrative is nonlinear and it effectively jumps through time in order to tell the story. For instance, each person that Niall wants to talk to is introduced in a clever manner, which involves him writing their name in a notebook, then there is a scene where that character is accompanied by Niall towards the park bench. This formula is repeated for each character and works very well. Similar techniques are utilised for their reactions to Niall's news, with consecutive scenes of each person's reaction, one after the other. Curran's skilfully crafted script and the creative editing by Carleton Rodgers are two of the film's strongest aspects.

Regarding the acting, it is great by the whole cast, with everyone being quite convincing in their role and particular praise goes to Connolly's emotional performance.

Director of photography Dwayne Douglas develops wonderful cinematography and the song Taking on the Wind by Cathal Murphy was an excellent choice.

This short is about an unfortunate young man discovering that true friends and supporters are revealed during the most challenging times. It is a moving and heartbreaking story that explores terminal illness, emotional support and how people can be very ignorant and egocentric.