★★★★ Directed by: Chris Weitz Starring: Ben Kingsley, Oscar Isaac, Melanie Laurent, Nick Kroll, Haley Lu Richardson Film Review by: George Wolf "Whom did you lose?" "We lost six mill-" "I'm asking about YOU!" Operation Finale may be an often gripping take on the hunt and capture of elusive Nazi war criminal Adolph Eichmann, but it finds emotional power in the intimate characterizations of two truly gifted actors. Sir Ben Kingsley is Eichmann, the SS "Head of Jewish Affairs" who lived under a false identity in Argentina until an Israeli Mossad unit tracked him down. Oscar Isaac is Peter Malkin, the Mossad agent who entered into a psychological duel with Eichmann while negotiating his extradition for trial in Israel. Director Chris Weitz handles well the shifting timelines and changing locales, propping the historical dramatics up with tense staging reminiscent of Argo. And, as he's not had any recent head injuries, Weitz knows when to stay out of the way and let his two leads do the masterful things they do. The trouble spots in Operation Finale come mainly from Matthew Orton's script, which is ironic because many isolated moments are quite effective. Much of the dialogue is breezy and even funny, which humanizes the supporting characters (with fine work from an ensemble including Melanie Laurent, Haley Lu Richardson and Nick Kroll) but can feel a bit flippant inside such weighty history. And in weighing that history, Orton's first feature screenplay aims for meaningful statements on the casualness of evil and the moral ambiguities of war, but settles instead for well meaning generalities that don't amount to any unique vision. Kingsley and Isaac (who also earns a producer credit) provide their own. Their scenes together become a richly-drawn cat and mouse game, a face off between personifications of genocide and exterminator. Somehow, they make subject matter this unpleasant a joy to watch unfold, elevating Operation Finale with a moving contrast of soul. #GeorgeWolf #movies #film #entertainment #moviereviews #filmreviews #OperationFinale #BenKingsley #OscarIsaac #MelanieLaurent #NickKroll #HaleyLuRichardson #ChrisWeitz #historicaldrama #biopic

★★★ Directed by: Nino Aldi Written by: Joseph Rein and Nino Aldi Starring: Tyler Ritter, Paul Elia, Ryan Ray Vincent, Eric Michael Roy, Travis Quentin Young, Nino Aldi, Carlena Britch Indie Film Review by: Hannah Sayer Nino Aldi’s Stillwater follows six old school friends as they reunite on a camping trip to an isolated and uninhabited island. The plot feels familiar straight away, as it is a premise explored frequently in films, particularly in the horror genre. The film follows a traditional structure, as the detectives in the present interrogate one of the friends, while flashbacks to the weekend trip take up the majority of the running time. The viewer just has to wait for the inevitable trouble to ensue, amidst this “1500 miles of uninhabited wilderness”. Stillwater opens with Willie, played by Paul Elia, being interrogated by the police about the aforementioned camping trip. There is a sense of dread created instantly through the heightened score which forebodes what is to come. The dark and gloomy visual aesthetic of the interrogation scenes also works well at foreboding the events of the weekend, which Willie may want to keep to himself. The plot then flashes back to Dawson, played by Tyler Ritter, and Willie driving to the island. They remark that this trip has been fifteen years in the making. It is a chance for this group of friends to escape their lives by getting drunk and just forgetting about their work, families, and for Dawson an impending divorce. When the friends reunite on this island, they find that they are joined by three others from their schooldays who were not part of their original friendship group, which instantly creates a tension between everyone invited. What follows is a wild night which results in the mysterious death of one of the friends. Supposedly, no-one has any recollection of the events that took place after a certain point in the night. The remainder of the film plays out very much as expected as suspicions rise amongst the group and the friends begin to wear each other down, as they try to ascertain who would have committed this awful act against one of their own. Stillwater is most successful when the tension is slowly building to boiling point. Once this diffuses and the friends begin to attempt to work out who has murdered their friend, the film suffers from not being as gripping. The running time feels drawn out as the plot begins to run out of steam by the end. However, the escalating build up of tension is exciting and the initial paranoia and suspicion which plays out amongst the friends makes Stillwater a worthwhile watch. Watch the official movie trailer for Stillwater below. #Stillwater #IndieFilmReviews #NinoAldi #JosephRein #TylerRitter #PaulElia #RyanRayVincent #HannahSayer #MovieTrailers

★★★★ Directed by: Matthew Hall Starring: Francesca Louise White, Jamie O’Neill, Richard Mark, Victoria Sviggum Short Film Review by: Darren Tilby Beginning as it ends and chronicling the relationship of a young couple, from their first meeting to their seemingly messy breakup: Back to the Start pulls no punches in its exploration into the psychologically damaging and emotionally crushing nature of modern dating and life. As the film begins – slipping between various phases of the relationship in a purposefully disorientating manner – we’re introduced to our leads, Sophie (Francesca Louise White) and Ryan (Jamie O’Neill), at both the start and end of their relationship. Their first meeting – clearly arranged by mutual friends, George (Richard Mark) and Lisa (Victoria Sviggum) – goes well, and the young pair seems well suited to one another. Unfortunately, modern life can be harsh, and the things which we’ve now come to rely so much upon; inventions designed to improve and simplify life, can cause us to become disconnected from the here and now. We observe the young couple through three primary stages of their relationship: the exhilarating start, the staleness of familiarity, and the soul-destroying end. The film never parts with too much information, opting instead to show us only non-linear snippets of their life together; leaving us intrigued and begging for more. And more can be found if you only take the time to look for it: the film is layered and has a plethora of clues scattered around its 16-minute runtime which, when discovered, feel rewarding and fruitful. The soundtrack is understated and the dialogue is minimal, but neither are wasted and both are put to good use. The dialogue between White and O’Neill, in particular, feels natural and genuine; with both actors capturing the essence of the awkward first date particularly well. The only issues I found with the film were in the script, which at times prolongs conversation on a topic a little longer than it needs to; occasionally breaking the immersion. This is a niggling complaint however and never took me out of the film for long. The cinematography on display here is sublime. The use of low angled shots gives the film a voyeuristic feel, and the lighting and colour palettes aid us in piecing together the narrative: during the early days of the relationship, scenes are full of bright, fresh colours and the camera remains in sharp focus, but towards the end, colours become muted and dark, and the camera drifts in and out of focus. Using this particular plot device, having colours assist the audience in reassembling a jumbled plot, mimics perfectly that of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. In that film, it’s Kate Winslet’s character’s (Clemetine) ever-changing hair colour that denotes which period of the relationship we’re witness to. Director and writer, Matthew Hall has taken this concept and made it his own; mirroring it in a way which is both respectful and astute. Back to the Start is a well-acted, well-written movie, which, aside from the odd script issue is almost flawless. The cast delivers their lines perfectly, but more importantly, they’re all totally believable and have great chemistry on-screen. I personally love the film’s choice of plot device and nods towards Eternal Sunshine, intentional or not: and although it can be confusing to begin with, it’s really quite simple and rewarding once you’ve figured it out. Great effort all round! #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #DarrenTilby #MatthewHall #FrancescaLouiseWhite #JamieO39Neill #RichardMark #VictoriaSviggum

★★★ Directed by: Vangelis Papadiochos Starring: Zoe Theodoropoulou, George Katsampas and Alexander Anastasiadis Short Film Review by: Annie Vincent The old adage that ‘money makes the world go round’ is a pertinent idea in Vangelis Papadiochos short film, The Debt. Examining characters in compromising situations, this film seeks to explore those monetary motivations which are far from the ambition and greed of city bankers and are far more worthy of our sympathies. But whilst audiences may not chastise the motivations of these characters, they may well question the risks they are willing to take for their end goals. The film opens awkwardly for the audience as they take a glimpse into the life of a call girl, desperate to leave her bank manager client, who is twice her age and on the phone to his wife while paying her. Poignantly, her father texts to ask if she would like collecting from her party: a tragic reminder that every call girl is someone’s daughter. In the next scene, a card game is taking place and our call girl’s motivations for the life she reluctantly leads is exposed. The same pimp who takes most of her money is seen in the next sequence, paying a police officer, off-duty, who also seems reluctant to receive the money the pimp is paying him. Again, in the next scene, his motivations are made clear too, and so runs this eight-minute film, introducing us to characters caught up in illicit deals or debts, but who have such weighty reasons for doing so, we cannot blame them ... well, not all of them anyway. The shooting and editing in The Debt are professional, with the odd misjudgement on lighting and some inaccuracies in the subtitles, but these do not detract from the viewing experience. But the storytelling and scripting is this film’s calling card, with all ends neatly tied up and a satisfying cyclicality produced. What comes shining through for viewers is the realisation that money and the pursuit of it is ultimately toxic: it is both a means and an end, its acquisition often coming with a price we wish didn’t have to be paid. #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #AnnieVincent #WorldCinema #VangelisPapadiochos #ZoeTheodoropoulou #GeorgeKatsampas #AlexanderAnastasiadis

★★★★ Directed by: Matt Tyrnauer Starring: Scotty Bowers Film Review by: Brandon Thomas Hollywood has always been about vanity, secrets and fiction. It’s an industry filled with people who make a living pretending to be someone else. Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood tells a tale of men and women who led fictional personal lives too. After his service in World War II, Midwest transplant Scotty Bowers lands a job at a busy gas station on Hollywood Blvd. It's here where Scotty meets his first secretly gay Hollywood celebrity: Walter Pidgeon (Forbidden Planet). This meeting—and subsequent sexual encounter—opens Bowers’s eyes to a large community of closeted gay actors and actresses. He wants to give them a place to meet one another…and to make a buck in the process. Through his likability and ability to find sexy, young men and women, Bowers cements his place among the Hollywood elite. During his tenure as “Pimp to the Stars,” Bowers finds himself setting up rendezvous for more than just famous actors and directors, as business tycoons also knew of his reputation. Bowers also attracts the attention of British royalty. Through it all, Scotty Bowers claims to only want one thing: to make people happy. Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood could’ve easily turned into one big tell-all (and there are some revelations that I didn’t know), but director Matt Tyrnauer wisely keeps the focus squarely on Bowers himself. Scotty Bowers isn’t the flamboyant center of attention you’d expect. Instead, we’re shown a 95-year-old hoarder who spends most of his free time cruising the streets looking for junk he can load into one of his many homes. The film wisely doesn’t rely on talking heads to fill in the gaps of the story. There’s the occasional interview with a Hollywood player like Peter Bart (former editor of Variety) or one of Scotty’s “boys,” but the bulk of the movie is composed of Scotty’s interactions with these people. Tyrnauer strives to show how Bowers continues to make connections with people, even though gay culture in Hollywood has become mainstream. Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood is a celebration of sexual freedom. The feel-good nature of the film is a byproduct of who Bowers is as a person. He claims he only wanted to make people happy—and he meant it. #MattTyrnauer #ScottyBowers #BrantomThomas #movies #film #entertainment #documentary #Hollywood #tellall #LGBTQ

★★★★★ Directed by: L. Marcus Williams Starring: Katlin Leslie, Dan Parilis Short Film Review by: Jack Bottomley Life is difficult. Some of us never know what it will throw at us next and with life being the way it is, all of us need a helping hand sometimes. Be it a supportive friend, a caring family member or an understanding voice on the other end of a telephone. And as mental health awareness is rightly being talked about more than ever in our society, so too are such issues in film. Though in the pursuit of such subject matter, the line between reality and fiction can be very thin and so is the case in L. Marcus Williams’ powerful and tremendously acted short film Lifeline. A short which uses the director’s own experiences to highlight the need to listen and which conveys the strength of those who live a daily struggle battling their own minds and the overpowering darkness. The short tells the story of a woman (Katlin Leslie) who has decided to take her own life, before doing so she calls a suicide hotline, so that she has somebody to say goodbye to. However, this conversation between the young lady and the helpline operator (Dan Parilis) soon becomes much more than just a final farewell, as he encourages her to keep talking. ABOVE: Watch the official movie trailer for Lifeline. Handled with a deep respect and heartfelt intimacy, Lifeline is an incredible short film that captures the difficulty of living with mental health and how strong people who experience it are and have to be. The themes of the film - no doubt fueled by the director’s first hand life experiences - are strong and emotive, as Lifeline raises the point that listening can be the most powerful thing one can do. It really can be the difference between life and death. As the film progresses, you are drawn into the story and come to love these leads and considering Williams’ decision to focus largely of split-screen intense close-ups of caller and operator, this film bravely sheds complete emphasis on the actors. Thankfully both Katlin Leslie and Dan Parilis are more than up to the task and deliver two fabulous performances that are full of soul. These two characters roles in many senses come to reverse as the line between supporter and sufferer comes to vanish and the film stands as a testament to listening, conversation and compassion. The dialogue between them feels natural and the script is filled with powerful statements on suicide and depression. Sung Rae Cho’s cinematography is realistic and the black and white visuals are a perfect match for the tone, which lifts come the optimistic and resilient finale. This ending is far from idealistic and is more a case of living to fight another day but when you are at the very edge, this is the first of many victories to follow. Lifeline urges people to never give up this most difficult fight and never give up the discussion, for if we do, more bottles of tablets will be reached for and more lives will fade away needlessly. Victory is possible and is worth fighting for. #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #MovieTrailers #JackBottomley #LMarcusWilliams #KaitlinLeslie #DanParilis

★★★ Directed by: Brian Henson Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Bill Barretta, Maya Rudolph Film Review by: Hope Madden Do you like Melissa McCarthy? Foul language? How do you feel about puppet ejaculate? You should probably be comfortable with at least two of the three if you’re considering seeing The Happytime Murders. In a Who Framed Roger Rabbitt? vein, The Happytime Murders serves up a noir that exists in a town where flesh-and-blood humans co-exist with fantasy – in this case, puppets. Not Kermit, though. Not Big Bird, either. No, like most noirs, the film lives on the seedier side of town, so we meet puppets with problems—sex addicts, porno freaks, folks with a mean jones for a sugar fix. The type of cat who’d perform a Continental Hot Sock for just fifty cents. Continental Hot Sock—how great is that name? Disgraced cop turned private investigator Phil Philips (Bill Barretta, longtime Muppet voice of Pepe the King Prawn, Rowlf the Dog, The Swedish Chef and others) re-teams with his old partner, Det. Edwards (McCarthy), to solve a string of puppet murders. The case smells like rotten cotton. McCarthy interacts as believably with puppets as she ever did with Sandra Bullock, and Todd Berger’s script takes excellent advantage of her whip-smart profanity maneuvering. Not every joke lands. In fact, too many fall entirely flat and far too much time is spent cursing simply to curse. But there are also some spit-take laughs. McCarthy delivers several, and the always glorious Maya Rudolph is responsible for many others. There is an underlying commentary in Happytime Murders that can be read as a take on systemic racism, or as a note on the under-appreciation of puppetry as an art form. Or both? Systemic racism as a metaphor for marginalized puppeteers feels a little tone deaf, but the filmmakers aren’t trying to make the audience comfortable and Happytime Murders is not one for nuance. The film is raunchy. It amounts to 90 minutes of profane, DNA-spewing nastiness with very little story to redeem it. I’m pretty sure that’s the point. Director and puppeteer royalty Brian Henson, son of Jim and filmmaker behind The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island, spares no one as he spits in the eye of the family film that’s been his family legacy. Actually, that may not be spit. #MayaRudolph #MelissaMcCarthy #BillBarretta #HopeMadden #movies #film #entertainment #moviereviews #filmreviews #puppets #raunchycomedies #BrianHenson #FilmReviews #TheatricalReleases

★★★ Directed by: Michael Noer Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Rami Malek Film Review by: George Wolf Don't expect wholesale changes to the classic survival tale from 1973. Instead, Danish director Michael Noer makes a subtle shift in tone, moving the focus away from the physical, and more toward the mental, philosophical and spiritual toll levied by years in a brutal penal colony. Like the Steve McQueen/Dustin Hoffman original, this new Papillon is based on Henri Charriere's book detailing his ordeal in a French Guyana prison camp, a sentence that began in the 1930s. Though the questionable authenticity of many of the book's details earned it a "biographical novel" classification, Henri's tale of primal struggle still commands attention. As Henri (nicknamed "Papillon" after his butterfly tattoo), Charlie Hunnam finds McQueen's big shoes a surprisingly comfortable fit. Digging deeper than he has to date, Hunnam turns in a fiercely committed performance that caters to Noer's vision of an outside/in character arc. Rami Malek is even better as the soft-spoken Louis, a wealthy counterfeiter who leans on the bruising Henri to provide safe haven from the savagery of other inmates. Keeping the basics of Hoffman's characterization, Malek adds his own shading for a compelling take on a man drawn to his friend for the defiant commitment lacking within himself. Noer sets a compelling contrast between two worlds, both visually impressive. The prison interiors are draped in blood, sweat and dark despair, while the colorful, expansive vistas just outside taunt the inmates with constant reminders of a freedom they are not likely to taste again. The parts are all here and competently assembled, but the punch of the bigger themes Noer and screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski (Prisoners, Contraband) are aiming for never land flush. The ordeal is tense, brutal and sometimes pulse-pounding, but this new Papillon can't fully expose the nerve it was digging for. Beyond physical toughness, what was it that drove Henri to merely bend where other men were breaking? We get some fine glimpses, but none with depth enough to truly transcend the journey. #CharlieHunnam #MichaelNoer #RamiMalek #AaronGuzikowski #GeorgeWolf #moviesfilm #entertainment #moviereviews #filmreviews #remakes #FilmReviews #TheatricalReleases

★★★★ Directed by: Daniel J. Brant Starring: Francesca L. White, Reuben Williams, Richard Usher, Dean Williams, and Jason Melrose Short Film Review by: Niall Maggs The job of an assassin appears to be quite lonely. You can’t share your occupation with anyone; it has to be secret, you don’t get the same opportunities as most normal people, and trying to keep a relationship is damn difficult - this is what we learn in Daniel J. Brant’s exciting 20 minute action film - and it also happens to be quite good fun as well! Cleo (Francesca L. White) is an assassin who uses her martial arts and weapon skills to execute targets with flair and style. She attempts to juggle a date and an assignment at the same time, and at the same place. This makes for some great humour and a light tone which ensures Dead Meet is a blast from start to finish. The action choreography is done splendidly well, with exciting sequences and Bourne-like fighting. The bathroom scene in particular was done brilliantly and to great quality; it was quite basic, but very effective and definitely got the job done! The acting from Reuben Williams, who plays Cleo’s date, is a bit wooden (whether this was the actor’s intentions is unclear) however his character is still a great inclusion in the story, and makes for some hilarious lines, especially the last one... My only other issue with Dead Meet is it’s plot - or lack of it. While it’s understandable why there would be a lack of narrative due to the short runtime, however there is still enough time to incorporate more story, rather than just action. It’s not particularly clear what the villain had done - so whether he was a villain or just another target is never really disclosed; I was left somewhat clueless as to why she was assigned to kill him in the first place! The music can feel somewhat out of place in a couple scenes, the end credits are quite over the top due to the loud blaring music, which kind of takes away from the great animation featured. But the majority of the music is used to great effect, feels quite natural, and works well within the genre. Dead Meet works well as a 20-minute short film. It has some great action and decent dialogue due to a solid script written by Brant, and Cleo is a pure badass! #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #NiallMaggs #SpyMovies #DanielJBrant #FrancescaLouiseWhite #ReubenWilliams #RichardUsher #DeanWilliams #JasonMelrose

★★ Directed by: André Almeida Rodrigues Starring: people from the village of Alfaião Short Film Review by: Annie Vincent The Oxford English Dictionary defines a film as ‘a story or event recorded by a camera as a set of moving images and shown in a cinema or on a television.’ Alfaião, a short showcasing moments of daily life from the Portuguese village of the same name, only lives up to half of that definition. Rodrigues has collated a series of clips from around the village of Alfaião, capturing the landscape, the quaintness of the village and the day-to-day activities of its residents. We are invited to observe a baker praying over her loaves; a hunter taking out his rifle to hunt game in the early morning; some butchery, and a game of cards between friends. And whilst this depiction of daily life in Alfaião has been captured on camera and is presented to us on screen, there isn’t a discernible story here. It is half a film, half a documentary. It depicts daily life, but to no consequence, with no clear cohesion or sequence and with no shape: we have all setting, no character development, no rising action and certainly no climax. There is nothing for the audience to invest in, to explore, to build a relationship with. We are kept at arms length, only permitted to view these images, not question them, not learn from them and consequently, with nothing to engage us beyond the acknowledgement of the daily lives of the people of Alfaião, which appear happy, but which are unremarkable, we cannot do much more than say: Alfaião is a respectable piece of camerawork, offering a glimpse of life in that village. Technically, more can be said: the photography and filming is professional and the clips have been edited together smoothly. Camera positioning and lighting have been considered throughout, creating a professional feel, like we might expect in a documentary. Subtitles are used on occasion, when we are exposed to a conversation, but two sets of the same subtitles appear, overlapping one another, which does need remedying. But without a story or an event, this piece cannot really be considered a film in the way we expect, and while capturing real life on film is absolutely what film is for, it is the capturing of characters and their stories, not landscapes and activities, that audiences seek, and here, Alfaião fails to deliver. #ShortFilmreviews #AndréAlmeidaRodrigues #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #AnnieVincent

★★★★​ Directed by: Matt Nye Written by: Matt Nye Starring: Heidi Higgins, Victoria Fragnito Short Film Review by: Rachel Pullen Hands up who has worked a crappy job? Be it in a bar, washing cars, cleaning bathrooms or retail in general [I have worked all of the above and retail is hell, consider that before your obsession with consumerism turns you into a dick at the checkout]. Now hands up who got out of that job and moved in to the world of the white-collar careers, with plush chairs, affairs with your secretary and air conditioning? Probably a fair few of you moved on right, and there is nothing wrong with that, but what about those of us who didn’t? Those of us who still push and grind at the lowing paying, bad hours of the blue-collar jobs, what’s life like for all the people you pass by working the crappy jobs that you hate? Server is an exploration into the life of a young woman who works as a waitress, telling her story through narration, as we view what her days are like in the small diner where she is employed. As you can expect there is nothing glamorous about her position, in fact it’s more extreme than we can envision just from being an observer. She talks of the option to expose her body to up her tips from the truckers who frequent the joint, of her battles with her eating disorder as she is surrounded with fattening fried foods, to how she begs to work longer shifts if the tips have not been as good as she hoped during her previous stint. Director Matt Nye is a pro at creating the atmosphere needed to allow this short to flourish. The bar is dimly lit, with that air of despair that comes from a roadside trucker joint, even viewing the environment she is in makes you feel greasy, real greasy, like you need to run some laps to burn off all that crappy food that you didn’t really eat, or take a shower… Our leading lady has the look of someone who is trying to hold it together, the look on her face is one of sadness being hidden behind a smile, actress Heidi Higgins makes us feel a strong sense of empathy toward the character without engaging anyone else on screen. We are fully immersed in this character, her problems are not immense, nothing grave happens to her, but the constant baragement of feeling unfulfilled is constant and pounding, and her sweet and innocent optimism makes you fall deeper into caring for her tale. To have a short that is only 5 minutes long, make you feel such strong emotions for the character speaks for it quality and style. This story, although not a work of great fantasy and tall tales, will suck you in, make you feel and remind all of those out there who have the white collar opportunities in life, to never take them for granted, and to remember, always tip your server. #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #MattNye #HeidiHiggins #VictoriaFragnito

★★★★★ Directed by: Tom Smith Starring: Jake McDaid, Laura Giselle Hardie, Lucien Morgan, Debbie Tarrier, and Neil Hobbs Short Film Review by Niall Maggs What a sensational short film this is; Goodbye was nominated for Best Student Film on two occasions and it's clear to see why. Every element in Goodbye has been done masterfully, and to say it's one of the greatest short films I've ever seen doesn't quite do it enough justice. Most of us have lost someone close to cancer, and in Goodbye there is a family who is going through the same thing so many of us have gone through; they've recently lost a family member and are grieving over the loss. Throughout the short film, we see the family struggling through this tough time emphasised by the cast's wonderful performances. The relatability of the film's storyline, the same heart breaking experience that can be so emotionally evocative with audiences, means it resonates extremely well and is likely to find a willing viewership who will enjoy the delivery and performances. Speaking of the performances, Jake McDaid is exceptional in this 12-minute short. His emotion is believable and really creates a realistic portrayal of someone grieving the loss of their brother. His sister, Laura Giselle Hardie, also does a fantastic job - in fact, she's struggling the most in the family; she was closest to her brother and often cared when, it seemed, no one else did. The screenplay, written by Tom Smith, is fantastic. It's very believable and realistic, and feels pure and genuine. The actors all deliver the lines with emotion, which makes the film work splendidly as a short. I'd really love to see a feature-length version of the film, as it's clear Tom Smith has some great potential as a filmmaker, Goodbye is nothing short of genius. I'm really looking forward to what he's going to do in the future! #ShortFilmreviews #59 #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #NiallMaggs #TomSmith #JakeMcDaid #LauraGiselleHardie #LucienMorgan #DebbieTarrier #NeilHobbs