Due to the way in which this film tells its story, it’s impossible to critique without giving many of the key elements away. While this is a critique site aimed at filmmakers, I do understand that some who will read this are film watchers who want to know if this is a good short film. If this is you, I would suggest looking at our final score and the fact that it's received our 'Best of Show Short Film' Award for June, and choosing to watch the film without reading further into this critique. For all others, please read on.
Psychologists have theorized a grieving person transitions through five different stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These stages don’t always follow this order, and a person may not experience all of them, but all are a normal part of the process of dealing with loss or death. Problems arise however, when a person remains consumed by their grief, and is unable to move past these stages. An individual may sink into a deep depression or even psychosis. One situation that can cause this kind of intense grief is the loss of a child.
William and Michelle Watson are dealing with just such a loss. At one time they used to work together at a marketing firm, but after their son Nathaniel died, Michelle left work and remains at home. While William deals with his grief by working, Michelle seems stuck in denial, and remains convinced that Nathaniel is still alive.
This is the story
of a couple...
...Dealing with the
loss of a child.
Content
This film was really well put together. It slowly gives the viewer little pieces of information about what might be wrong – starting off with William getting ready for work and appearing somewhat cold toward his wife, giving the impression that he might be having an affair. Then Michelle shows up at William’s officer with a surprise lunch, and find him working with an attractive young woman who has taken Michelle’s former job.
However, the scenes that imply the real problem gradually make it more obvious, such as Michelle scolding her son for leaving his ball out, then tossing it into the room, yet no one catches it. Or the scene in which she decides to take the family on a vacation and comes to the school to pick up Nathaniel, only to be told by the principal that he is no longer at school. Rather than take the hint, however, Michelle gets angry that the administrators would let him walk home alone with a cold. The audience’s suspicions are confirmed in the final scene of the movie where William comes home to see Michelle sitting at an empty bedside, holding a bowl of soup, and stroking the forehead of a child who is not there. Up to that point, however, one assumes that grief has driven Michelle to insanity. But when William starts to tell her that their son is gone, by her actions she asks him to help keep up her charade. The heartbreaking truth is that Michelle needs William to help keep her fantasy alive, or else she really will become insane.
The acting in this film was great, and the final twist at the end was perfect, yet also unexpected.
Visual Look
The visual look of this film is amazing. My favorite aspect was the lighting; there was a nice balance of well-lit interiors in William’s office and at the school and some really great harsh shadows and low light inside William and Michelle’s house that helped to enhance the mood of some of the more emotional scenes. I also liked the opening shots of the ball floating in the pool; the overcast sky helped to se the mood from the beginning. The shots were well-framed, and the white balance looked great.
Due to the way in which this film tells its story, it’s impossible to critique without giving many of the key elements away. While this is a critique site aimed at filmmakers, I do understand that some who will read this are film watchers who want to know if this is a good short film. If this is you, I would suggest looking at our final score and the fact that it's received our 'Best of Show Short Film' Award for June, and choosing to watch the film without reading further into this critique. For all others, please read on. 
