Especially in her time of need after her parents' divorce, Jack (Abel Cosentino) tries to be a solid rock in his niece's (Mary Ellen Wood) life, an ersatz father, best friend and shoulder to cry on all rolled into one - and by and large he does a pretty good job even.  But there's also aonther side to him, one that creeps up on him mainly when he's on his own, that of an addict. And while he's trying to fight it, it seems his addiction - portrayed as a voice (Ian Douglas) over a vintage phone - is all too sure about having the upper hand no matter what he does ...

Films about addiction can be heavy handed, too on-your-nove, too message heavy and what have you - in other words, there are more ways to get it wrong than to get it right - and then this short gets it right, a film that represents its subject matter in a very stylized, almost abstract way, relying on strict compositions and symvolism, while the "real world" is represented in natural colours, low key camerawork and free-flowing dialogue - in other words, almost a bit chaotic if comfortingly so. And also thanks to a nice narrative flow and relatable performance, this is a pretty worthwhile experience.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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