I Had a Heart Once

I was given an advanced screening of the short "I Had A Heart Once", directed by fellow movie reviewer Josh Lewis.

The short itself is only a little bit over five minutes. Our main and only character, John, is apparently ready to finally tell us what is on his mind after a night of heavy drinking and epiphanies.

Interlaced between the dialogue are clips of John wandering aimlessly around the city, looking sad, confused, and depressed, so it is not just simply one man talking on his couch.

The thing I liked most about the movie was the soundtrack and the last 20 or so seconds. The soundtrack carries the emotions splendidly throughout the short piece and enhances the feelings that the actor is trying to convey. The ending gives us context for his late night rant by finally answering the few questions you have during his talk: Who are you talking to and why?

Unfortunately for me this piece was not as powerful as I could have hoped, and I have been able to single it down to one reason. I didn't understand almost half of the words spoken by our actor, Rohan Mead. Presumably his goal was to get the message across while also appearing wasted in some capacity. Therefore most of the lines are said quickly and go from whisper to regular voice quite often. His dialogue is very realistic in that regard, a man trying to get something off of his chest (and about his chest, ha) that he has kept deep for some time. But if I don't know what words he uses, I can't get lost in the powerful imagery it creates.

Should it have come with subtitles or at least had clearer dialogue, the review would have been higher.

2/4.

I Had a Heart Once is director Josh Lewis' debut and I will say that it is a tremendous one. It may not have been perfect, but it was pretty impressive with what it did. The movie tells the story of a man's life and the things and people he has lost on the way through his bad decisions. I Had a Heart Once is the closest a seven minute short can come to brilliance.

The film begins with a pan over the apartment of our protagonist, John. It has cans and bottles strewn across the room, old half eaten food sitting out and rotting, and a large ash tray of smoked cigarettes sitting on the table in front of John. He starts off by telling us that he has lost his soul and why this has happened to him. As he is telling his story, he uses different phrases and metaphors that are poetic to say the least and the cut between present and past looked great. The cinematographer, whoever that may be, is going places. It was breathtaking.

It's hard to get a lot of substance into a seven minute short, but the writer did a fantastic job at doing this. The writing in this movie was fantastic because of the emotions the dialogue brought up. There were metaphors being thrown around and they really bring something to the experience. It's tragic, and the writing showed that. The way the story is told by the director was also impressive, especially for a first timer. It cuts from present to past by showing little flashes into John's mind, seeing something that seems like the beginning of his downfall.

As the movie goes on, it enthralls you with its depth and perception while occasionally going into melodrama, but it does a good job of staying out of it for the most part. The main problem I had with this movie was the acting in the beginning. It did get better as it went on, buttons first couple of lines sounded so forced to me. It sounded like he actor was just saying what was written in the script and not truly feeling it. It is a small complaint because as the film went on, he began to do a better job at expressing the feelings of this tragic character.

I Had a Heart Once is a fantastic debut for Josh Lewis and a great film altogether. It tells a story that captures you and doesn't release you until it's over, even if it's only for seven minutes. I look forward to witnessing Lewis' career grow and seeing his next projects. Good luck to him.

Right off the bat I was very intrigued by the camera angles that were used. I loved the almost interview/final thoughts setting with the actor just speaking to the camera. The cutaways were intense and a good use of camera technique. The music was perfectly selected for each scene. The cinematography was great and I wish it were a longer movie so I could enjoy it more. The script was well written and delivered beautifully by Rohan Mead. The dim lighting gave the entire film an eerie feel which I thought was fitting. Josh Lewis did an excellent job directing this film and getting Rohan to really be believable as the character. Taking everything into consideration for an overall rating, I'd give I Had A Heart Once a 8 out of 10. It was definitely worth seeing and it had me wanting more.

Brad Hall

Directed by Josh Lewis, Metal Owl Films' latest short film "I Had A Heart Once" is an artistic piece sure to make an impression on film festivals all over.

The seven minutes are impressionable, as John (Rohan Mead) reminisces over his alcoholic past. It begins in a dark apartment, as John lights up a cigarette. The scene shifts from John's apartment and him walking around New York as he speaks. John becomes more and more emotional as he realizes what his life has become. The cinematography can be a bit distracting from his story. However, his words are poetic and hold your attention effectively, regardless of how ADD the camera switches can be. The erratic of an alcoholic's experiences is what makes the scene changes relevant to what is being said. The fourth wall is broken as John shares his thoughts with others. This will draw audiences in, making his past more tangible to us, even though we only get to know him in such a short amount of time.

Overall, "I Had A Heart Once" is a passionate and bold piece. Though existential in nature, the emotion builds at the perfect incline to the end of the short film.

Rohan mead Josh Lewis

Short films are bound by not only the constraints of a time limit, but they're burdened with telling a story that's captivating and entertaining with limited elements. Plots have to be stripped to the bare minimum, characters need to be few in number, and dialogue and scenes must tell the bulk of the story. Josh Lewis's "I Had A Heart Once" manages to do most of that in its 7 minute runtime.

With only one on screen character and a second mentioned, I Had A Heart Once delves into the mind of a young man and how he's lost his soul, how he feels as if he's drifting without a sense of direction. While the young actor, played by Rohan Mead, performs beautifully when he's not speaking, the monologue he delivers feels a bit lack lustered. Moments where you can feel the genuine emotion (or rather lack there of) from this empty shell of a man suddenly feel less impacting when he sounds as if he's just reading the script into the camera only seconds later. Nevertheless, the overall theme and mood of the film, as well as the poetic lines Mead conveys, maintain its course until the last second, and overall, it's an enticing story.

I Had A Heart Once is certainly a beautiful film, not only in its message, but as a 2- dimensional media. The cinematography and color is wonderful, as is the original soundtrack, that seem to capture the essence of the story even more so than the actual monologue. A great sense of pride is certainly apparent for the young filmmaker, as it should be for something that looks this good.

If this is any indication of the work that will follow with Lewis's no doubt subsequent releases, you can look forward to enjoyable and aesthetically pleasing works from the director. I only hope he can manage to direct more raw and genuine emotion from his future actors and actresses.