Voice Over

I was sent a link to this as an example of excellence and imagination in the short format. It is wholly competent indeed, humorously inventive; a series of interlocked vignettes where characters struggle across time with insoluble dilemmas as a narrator juggles through them trying to settle on a story worth recalling.

A look at accreditation shows a well connected young maker who could mobilize resources to create and this is as much a filmmaking lesson as anything. It didn't just happen, a lot of work was poured into it (a lot of it over festival cocktails I assume), the work of convincing you are ready and able, that enabled him to be in position to make something like it.

That's all fine; this maker lacks nothing that would keep him from taking on the feature format and that seems to be where he's headed already. It must be great to be able to make the transition from the pile of hopeful dreamers to the few given the keys to the room where dreams are created, I wish him luck.

But when all the work of surrounding yourself with the right tools and being technically proficient in them has taken place, the real work of drawing life is yet to begin. And all concessions made to young filmmaking, there's just so little here that looks like it has been arrived at by a process of maturation, worldview, the quest for personal expression. Age has little to do with it, openness to what happens to you has everything, the desire to use that as your eye, opposed to looking for a postcard view. This leaves me with a perfectly refined confection, and praising refinement is always faint praise. It just means that this maker is lucky to have already attained skills he can use to grow.

let me start off by saying, this is by far one of the best short films I have ever seen! It takes you on a full emotional journey and captured me in a way most short stories couldn't dream of doing. if you have 10 minutes, don't waste anymore time. Go see this beautiful piece of art NOW! :) You'll thank me later.

to the reviewers saying it's not as smart as it thinks it is.... you missed the whole point of the beautiful story and narration. it is a grand tale to tell the story of the simplest thing. I appreciated the simplicity and subtlety of the final shot and the way it ends. and i do agree with all the reviews that the editing, cinematography and narration is unbelievable!

Let me just say that this is a beautiful short, a beautiful looking short that is. Three stories connected by a Narrator's voice over, which in itself becomes jarring and exposes an inherent weakness in visual story-telling. The director draws you in from the beginning and the high quality production values are apparent from the start. Coloured and imagined for a very demanding visual audience that wants to be impressed. BUT in essence there is no story and it tries to be too clever then it really is as none of the three stories has visual connections hence all hangs on the captivating narrative voice. In all honesty, the filmmakers are guilty of trying to be too clever forgetting that story is key.

I came to this film with a bit too much hype as it was linked as being the best 10 minutes "evah" in the way sometimes happens and the title of the linking post talking about the great ending, thus putting it out there that the ending would be great, rather than something I just come to. The film is set in several scenarios, all of them featuring the same man racing to achieve something while his heart beats and adrenaline pumps. The reasons for this become clearer as the film goes on, but the ending is not particularly clever or great – good but not more than that.

Instead the delivery is what makes the film work, because the scenarios are effective. The film jumping around throws the viewer off guard and shares the sense of urgency. It helps that the segments are really well filmed; whether they are a distant planet, WW1 or underwater, they all look great. The narration works very well too; the French dialogue fits and the voice is well cast and well delivered, adding to the feel of the film a great deal.

It ends pretty well but also a bit simply; it is tidy and it has a certain honesty to it but it isn't as smart as it thinks it is. Very well made for sure, but the link doesn't totally work.