The Life Between Two Nights

A single father tries to make a living while taking care of his son who has a disability.

This short drama significantly explores two things:

One is the magnitude of the challenges that people with disabilities and their carers have to face. A man named Pepe (Poga) lives with his son, Jesus (Perez) in an apartment. The boy has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. The story takes place over the course of a day. The two of them wake up in the morning and Pepe finds out that the person who was supposed to look after Jesus while he is at work is suddenly unable to do so. After several failed attempts to find a substitute, he ends up being forced to bring his son with him at the flea market where he works. There, while he is distracted with Jesus, several goods are stolen. The screenplay extensively points out how hard it can be to live with a person with such a condition, the constant attention that is required.

The second is the strong bond between Pepe and Jesus. Pepe is hard-working and cautiously tends to his son, always prioritising his well-being. Jesus depends on his father for everything and he is grateful. The two of them understand each other and enjoy each other's company and tend to play a game of words between them. In some ways, they have their own world, where it is just the two of them and they are happy as their relationship appears to overcome the complications that are caused by Jesus's disability.

The film shows the world through the perspective of a father and his boy who go through life differently due to a disability. Having a disability is at the centre of this story and the film shows what life can be like for the person who has it and their carer.

The dramatic music by Pablo Cervantes includes violin melodies and creates a heavy atmosphere. The filmmakers make interesting use of sound techniques during a sequence where speech sinks into the background and the score takes over and a similar technique is utilised during a shower scene, where diegetic sounds disappear completely and only the score remains, making the scene powerful. Praise also goes to Rocio Menendez for the creative editing that includes dissolve.

This short from Spain is a father-and-son story. It is a dramatic story about the challenges of living with a disability and how love and caring can succeed in conquering problems and bringing happiness.