Review by michaelschilf

Roy Arwas' award winning short is a superbly crafted, heartfelt film. Beautifully shot, the cinematography echos the isolation and abandonment former marine Tom (Brett Zimmerman) feels upon returning home to his estranged abusive father, Richard (Chris Browning), who has no memory of his son due to late stages of Alzheimer's. The external plot is poignant, yet it's the unspoken narrative that is so profound. The emotional baggage Tom carries inside is the eminent artistry of the film.

Zimmerman delivers a tour de force performance, portraying Tom's moral split. Emotions go from outrage to bewilderment to guilt to sorrow and then back again to outrage. Tom's affliction is contradictory. His emotional truth embodies bitterness, rage, and longing, yet conversely, despite all his pain, his truth is also acceptance, forgiveness, and love. There is a powerful, implacable beauty amidst emotional malady.