Review by David Ferguson
Greetings again from the darkness. It’s a gritty scene set in a dimly lit bus station. A mother is nagging her distracted young son. Their bus is delayed, which agitates them both. Writer-director Daniel Newell Kaufman and Cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra use a one shot approach with a handheld camera, and center mostly on the boy.
Luke (Luke Visagie) never says a word during the 11 minute run time, yet we understand his thoughts which ricochet from food to boredom to curiosity. His mom (Erin Markey) is the type who compares life’s annoyances to Riker’s Prison, while still flashing motherly instincts like explaining the germs carried by paper money.
“It’s raining on your face” is a terrific line that helps us understand where the mother is coming from as we slowly realize the urgency of her situation. Is she running from something or someone, or is she running to it? Running to start over is one of the most common wishes, and it’s one shared by many from all walks of life. In this tense short film, a nervous mom trying to be reassuring to her son is a scene that has likely played out many times in real life. The actors and filmmakers are superb in bringing it to the screen.
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