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12 minutes of tension and uncertainty heightened by the blazing sun and the intermittent cries from the children. The short film "Caroline" follows of a young girl, Caroline, as her desperate mother is forced to leave her and her siblings alone in an attempt to secure a job during her job interview. Her mother leaves them in the car during a hot summer day. The issue arising when their babysitter does not pick them up as planned and they are instead approached by a stranger with unknown intentions while their mother is absent.

The film uses close-ups and tilted frames along with a shaky camera as it portrays a stressfully realistic scenario. The camera techniques does not allow you to get a clear and calm image of the situation, allowing one to be fully immersed in the emotions of the young girl. It ties in with the emotions of Caroline as the story is told through her limited and child-like perspective. The cries of her baby siblings as well as her harried yet caring mother's desperation adds to the crafting of the tension and unease Caroline feels when confronted with the unfamiliar situation. It is about Caroline. Her emotions and perspectives regarding the events, leaving her and the audience much in the dark to the specific details (a child's innocence and ignorance) of the events occurring while still leaving enough evidence for the audience to comprehend more fully what a child cannot.

With sensational acting from the characters, Catherine Held playing the mother in a convincing and moving play with the young girl. The film displays the dilemma of what a person must do what the best decision would be as they are backed into a corner or left with no options or proper aid.

Provoked a emotional response from its audience. Whether you connect with the characters or not it's a memorable short film that allows the audience to be immersed in the storyline. The story follows a young girl and her family as she deals with the harshness of the inner workings of society. The single mother of three decides to leave her children inside the car on a hot Texas summer day in order to attend a job interview that she desperately needs. The views sympathize with her even though her actions were morally incorrect. As she frantically attempts to find a solution for the issue at hand. Her helplessness is present from the first moment of the film and escalates as the film progresses. By making the viewpoint Caroline, an innocent and vulnerable child, we the audience become conflicted between siding with the mother and her situation and what society norms.

The relationship between the director (Held) and children really shone though in this film, to make a believable and authentic performance. Inorder to create this bond both directors moved in with the children for a period of time in order establish a more comfortable atmosphere. The children acting has very impressive as it made the audience feel uncomfortable

This unique storyline and well executed acting made the film worthy of the praise it received. My criticism on the film was the little backstory it gave to what led up to the events at hand. Viewers had to make many assumption about the living and financial situation of the mother. The film exerted many emotions but abrupt ending made me personally left with many emotions and unable to feel with it. I would recommend this film to a more mature audience as it addresses mature concepts about our society. Overall I thoroughly enjoy the craft of this film and would watch again.

Close up shots, sweat, tears and a confined space. It's tense.

Caroline is a nerve-wracking short film directed by Logan George and Celine Held centered around a six year old girl who's mothers is in distress and the responsibilities of looking after her siblings have fallen upon her. Caroline's mother is in need of a job and the film begins with the family in the car on the way to what seems to be a job interview on a very hot day. Being the only adult, Caroline's mother must leave her children in the car in hopes that a six year old will be able to handle anything that may arise during the time that she is gone. 3 young children alone, inside of a hot car with no AC on. Attention is drawn to them and tension rises as the film progresses.

Caroline is a film that keeps you on your toes, creates tension and makes you uncomfortable in the best way possible. The sweat, uncomfortable movement and the cry of the children all serve to keep the audience invested in each scene.

Although it had a little bit of a lackluster ending, the film successfully kept me interested in the storyline. I would recommend it to older audiences who are able to understand the struggle of the mother and the burden that is constantly put on this 6 year old child so that they may better comprehend the film as a whole. .

Every time I watch this 12 minute short, it brings me to tears! The anxiety of the situation in this short film had me sitting on the edge of my seat. The emotional roller coaster brought out the mama bear in me and the cliff hanger left me wanting more. God forbid you're in this situation and how horrible for the moms that are!

Wow, that was an intense short film. I can see a mom struggling with three young children like this. If a film leaves me wanting to see more, I know I've become involved in the story. And isn't that the point?

No wonder this short has won so many awards, it is a brilliant made film. So intensive and filled with emotion, what all films should be!

This short should have won the Palme D'Or at Cannes. It was the only US short nominated in 2018. The coolest thing about Caroline- you can watch it over and over again and pick up nuances that you missed the first time- it is packed with hidden meaning. It is BRILLIANT. Well done - love the kids and the mom <3

What was the point of this short? I mean, very little happened. It started abrupt and ended abrupt. So there was no beginning, middle. Just an ending which was unsatisfying. Everything that happened was over the top forced writers drama.

I didn't believe a thing that happened. A mom just left the kids in the car to go in and see a tax dude in scolding heat? I mean, really? Even if i believed that, once Caroline told them where the mom was, they should have gone to get her. And then the overreaction of the crowd, getting into physical fights etc.

The kids seemed fine, because they could have opened the door at any time, which she did anyway.

I never sympathized with the mom, nor any of the random people in the parking lot.

Everyone says the kids were amazing, but they literally had no idea they were being filmed, at least the two youngest and with Caroline they just grabbed candid moments of her.

This has potential to go somewhere, but it didn't. Instead it just frustrated me with one bad decision after another.

It was trying WAY too hard to be dramatic and ended up being melodramatic.

A hot summer day in Texas puts a mother of three in a very difficult situation between work and her kids. The camera is focuses on 6-year old Caroline who is distracted by her fingers wondering in her mouth while the mother of three is scrambling to find someone to take care of her kids as she is late for a job interview at a tax service place. Held and George's created a situation with many controversies over the outcome of this short film. By using techniques which lead the audience to anticipate the worst of the situation, then realizing that the final outcome was not as treacherous as it could have been. A great technique used to pull the audience in as Caroline is faced with a situation way above her age level of problem solving. The perspective the directors put the audience in allowed the audience to feel as though they were in the car as well but with no power over the situation. The camera angles and the effects of the noise levels Held and Georges used to set the situation helped create a more uneasy feeling for the audience. The love felt between Caroline and her mom, and the mom to the kids was very moving and helped reinforce a good intention when the decision between work and the kids came to light. While Caroline and her two younger siblings were unaware of the significance of their situation many times, we noticed Caroline without hesitation stepping in to calm them down. As the situation becomes more heated when a lady in the parking lot steps into help, and the mom comes out fully aware of what her decision has led to as she runs through people swarming her car. The situation goes of a slippery slope shortly after that as people are screaming and trying to get the mom out of the car. During which there is a short fight which breaks out we notice how Caroline only being 6-years old steps in to defend her mom by biting the arm of the lady who saved them in order to get her off of her mom. As Caroline is scrambled back into the car by her mom, she notices that her tooth fell out which symbolizes the loss of youthfulness and innocents. Although the film kept the audience on the edge of their seat not knowing what would happen next, the one downside to the film was the lack in detail over the location changes throughout the film. Overall, this film brings light to current problems and stereotypes of mothers and their children, and the way people view working moms. I would recommend this stressful and thrilling film to teens and young adults.

This short film had me gripped from the start and as a mother I can empathise with the situation.

The captivating and suspenseful short film Caroline explores the ongoing contrasts between what is ethical and safe compared to what seems to be a last resort for a struggling single mother. In this 2018 short film, the camera does not leave Caroline, a six year old daughter and oldest sibling of three, as she embraces resilience, faces feelings of abandonment, and ultimately goes through a traumatic experience that becomes the loss of her innocence. As three young kids are left alone in a hot, uncomfortable situation, suspense grows as strangers step in. Even in times of friendliness and protection, tensions build like beads of sweat waiting to accumulate into a drop and roll off the tip of a nose. Attacking the woman who tried to protect her and her siblings, Caroline loses her tooth as she makes this transition away from the innocence and naivety of childhood in order to protect her mother who was unable to protect her. One after the other, the mothers good intentions lead to dangerous mistakes from a position of distress. The directors, Logan George and Celine Held, employ impactful cinematic devices to establish an uncomfortable and suspenseful experience for the audience, much like the environment the characters face in this short film. As the children appear soaked in sweat, abrupt sounds and tilted camera angles work to create feelings of worry and suspense in the audience. The film, while not excusing what the children go through, captures a sense of understanding for the desperation of Caroline's mother. This juxtaposition is crucial to the tone of the short film and the successful story line that is explored. The reality of this film captures a situation as if the camera is merely a fly on a car window which should be greatly celebrated as one of it's many successes. Not only was there sophisticated contrast that left the audience open to interpret through their own moral understanding, but also much of the evoked emotion came from the acting of the three young kids which would have been no small feat. Even after watching this short film several times I would strongly recommend this to anyone who is intrigued by a plot of realistic suspense while also exploring the struggles within our society to provide. Although the struggle of Caroline's single mother is apparent, I believe that the urgency and necessity of her interview could have been further developed to better contribute to the situation of her feeling she had no other choice but to leave her children in danger. Overall, this was an emotionally uncomfortable film that greatly succeeded in evoking both understanding and judgement from the audience.

Caroline is a film that explores the far-from-glamorous life of a presumably single mother with 3 children, the eldest of which is the titular Caroline. Through young Caroline's eyes, we are able to feel the array of emotions that she experiences, paired with the childish sense of innocence that made the film so endearing. I rate the film highly because of the visceral response it is able to evoke after each watch. The directors' brilliant and deliberate use and juxtaposition of cacophonous sound versus silence, creates an atmosphere where the viewer is quite literally on the edge of their seat. The film does an excellent job of evoking some of our most primal instincts - sensing danger, and foreboding.

The film's pacing felt natural, and yet was able to convey the sense of urgency that plays a prominent role in the film. All in all, it is a beautiful piece that tackles the realities that many individuals face today.

I would definitely recommend this film to anybody who enjoys the feeling of mounting suspense, as well as cohesive and intense story-telling.

With every bead of sweat on Caroline's face, the anxiety from the audience doubles. Caroline is a 12 minute short that depicts a desperate single mother of three young children seeking childcare prior to a job interview. When her plans fall through, she ultimately prioritizes the interview, leaving six year old Caroline in charge of her two younger siblings trapped in a car during a hot Texas summer. The unsettling realism of this film makes 12 minutes feel like 12 hours. The chilling plot starts off slow, but before 5 minutes have passed, it feels like you take a nose dive in the shallow end. The acting in this short is phenomenal. The viewer almost feels like they are in the car next to Caroline, helpless to the circumstances she and her siblings are in. This is a great short film that incites debate surrounding society's expectations of mothers, how reliant we are on the kindness of strangers, and what we would do if placed in the same situation. Caroline is a powerful and complex film despite its short runtime, and I would recommend it to anyone searching for raw authenticity and a film that leaves you thinking.

On a hot summer Texas day, outside of a tax service centre, Caroline (Caroline Falk), her brother, and sister are left in the car. Their mother (Celine Held), who is going to interview for a job, gives Caroline the keys to turn the A/C on. Unable to start the car, a woman (Tam Jackson) comes to the children's aid, sitting in the car while they wait for mom to return. The woman confronts the mother and an altercation breaks out. Directors Logan George and Celine Held explore the ideas of poverty, motherhood, and growing up fast in the Southern US in their 2018 short film Caroline.

The setting of a minivan struck out to me to symbolize the state the family is in. The car was littered with toys. It's clear that the children had spent a lot of time in the car. The routine of putting on the mother's lipstick and entertaining her siblings was something Caroline had experience with. Without a second parent in the picture it seems that Caroline has taken the role of caregiver when the mother is gone. The mother is the family's breadwinner while Caroline cares for the children.

The choice of sound design was very apparent. The sound was from Caroline's perspective throughout the film. Noises of adults outside the car were constantly Charlie Brown muffled. But when conflict starts to occur George and Held bring the sound to a disorientating high. The reason being it creates the sense of panic a young child would have seeing their mother in a state of danger.

The directors have created a truly unique film that utilizes interesting setting and sound choices. But these choices pale in comparison to the acting skill of Caroline. She was the linchpin of the film. She created a character that any viewer would naturally care for and emphasize with. The viewer immediately connects with Caroline and wants the world for her. Caroline is a superb movie that everyone with children should see.

A scalding summer day in Texas leaves a mother and her 3 kids in a dilemma. The camera pans on 6-year old Caroline who watches as her mother struggles to find someone to take care of her kids while she attends a job interview at a tax service place. Held uses a technique that causes the audience to anticipate that the worst possible thing will happen. A small feeling of peace is felt when the ending was not as traumatizing as you would expect. This technique was perfectly executed by having Caroline deal with problems that are way above her level of understanding. The directors are also able to make the film disconcerting by having the camera perspective be from the perspective of the children who are unable to do anything, basically helpless. The camera effects as well as the sound effects make this film even more unsettling for the viewer. As the viewer, it was easy to get emotionally attached to the characters in this story and the plot. The love between Caroline and her mother makes this film very emotional and moving. While the chaos ensues, Caroline makes sure to take care of her siblings and ensure their safety. The situation becomes heated when the man and the woman break into the car to turn on the air conditioning. When the mom returns and sees what is happening she immediately reads the situation and realizes what has happened which is why she tries to leave immediately. The situation gets even worse when a fight ensues and Caroline is forced to bite the woman attacking her mother to protect her mother. When Caroline bites the woman; her tooth falls out. This symbolizes the loss of innocence. Held was able to create a film that kept the viewer on the edge of their seat the whole time. While also being able to have the audience become emotionally attached to these characters. I would recommend this suspenseful film and stressful film to teenagers and adults.

Inside a car with no air conditioning on a blazing summer's day in Texas. Certainly not a safe or comfortable environment for anyone, let alone three young children. "Caroline" is a realistic but heartbreaking film with no winners, focused on the experience of Caroline and her two younger siblings as their mother leaves them waiting in a car while she goes in for a much needed job interview. Pair of directors, Logan George and Celine Held, based this film on several news stories of similar events, resulting in a powerful and emotionally resonant piece that has viewers on the edge of their seat as they watch the tension rise and the situation escalate.

This film has masterfully developed the struggles and desperation of the mother by setting up criticism for the society that put her in that position. The audience is both sympathetic towards the characters and fearful of the consequences they could face. The eruption of loud sounds, accompanied by the presentation of this film from the perspective of a child, makes Caroline's subsequent loss of innocence all the more stressful and heartbreaking, and the abrupt ending leaves the audience with unresolved emotions, reeling from what just took place. The short ending is the only polarizing aspect of the film, but it is overall an amazing piece of work that humanizes real-life stories that we tend to feel detached from.