Caroline

The film focuses on a young girl named Caroline who is left in a boiling hot car with her two youtube siblings, although leaving your kids in a car with no AC on a hot Texas summer day is always a no go, the mothers unfortunate situation allows us to sympathise with her. The film starts showing a stressed and desperate mother trying her best to take care of her kids but also desperately needing a job. When the mother goes to drop off the kids the sitter is not present so making the best of the situation she takes the kids with her and leaves Caroline the keys in case the car gets too hot. When the car starts to heat up Caroline can't start the car so she does her best to take responsibility and care for her sibling until her mom gets back. After another set of parents sees the kids in the car tensions start to rise, you get increasingly more anxious and stressed wondering what's going to happen as everything continues to spiral down hill.

The film did an amazing job at keeping your attention because you just want something to go right and seeing the children crying and sweating gets you emotionally involved. Everything that happens makes you feel uneasy and stressed and seeing it all from Caroline's perspective just amplifies that, between the excessive sweating and the passerbyers muffled talking and tapping on the window makes you feel trapped and helpless. My only criticism is that at some points the crying and sweating was overdone and it was just hard to watch and made me uncomfortable. I would definitely recommend this to a mature audience due to how unsettling some aspects of the film can be but overall it was a fantastic film.

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.

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

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!

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.