Stutterer

Before watching this film, I went in knowing it won the Oscar in the live-action short film category, so I had pretty high hopes. I was surprised to find that the film was very simple.

It's not bad in any way, but Oscar material? Short films that win Oscar's typically cover topical or important issues, or are very moving. While this film is touching, I wouldn't have given it a win. I do believe it deserved its nomination, but there were certainly better shorts that year. The main actor in this is very good. But good acting doesn't necessarily make a good film. I guess I was just left wanting more. The plot summary is literally the film. Good, but not at such a level it warranted an Oscar win.

Stutterer is a great short film that has everything a short should have. The story has emotional depth, and I really liked the performance by the actor - especially the main character. He did an amazing job portraying the role.

The cinematography is excellent. There's a scene where he's walking to meet the girl, and his thoughts are split - one thought plays on the right side of the headphones, and another on the left side. I noticed this while watching with headphones, and it really added a creative touch to the film. It's great work by the sound team.

The score is also perfect. It's subtle, not over-the-top, and it complements the film really well.

I really appreciated the small, meaningful details the writer included. For example, the main character doesn't just judge people - he actually keeps track of how many people he has judged by just seeing them, because he knows he won't be able to speak to them. It's a small but powerful way to show how his condition affects his view of the world. There are also moments when he judges himself, which were handled in such a real and thoughtful way.

Overall, Stutterer is a really good short. I enjoyed it alor.

Stutterer (2015)

*** (out of 4)

Benjamin Cleary wrote and directed this tender short, which picked up a Best Short Oscar nomination. A man named Greenwood (Matthew Needham) has been having an online relationship with a woman named Ellie (Chloe Pirrie) but things take a turn for him when she asks to meet him in person. The thing is that Greenwood has a major stuttering problem, which he fears might cost him a chance at a real relationship with the woman.

STUTTERER certainly wasn't the best nominated short that I saw but there's no question that it has a rather tender story as well as a very touching ending that I certainly won't spoil here. I thought director Cleary did a very good job at building out the story and I thought it was extremely well-made. I liked the laid back nature of the picture and I thought the story was rather clever in the way that it eventually played out.

Like the character in the short, we're all charged with difficulties which we have to overcome, whether sooner or later. It's important that we may never give up. That's what matters in the end. You would want help to come from outside, but you know today you gotta help yourself first in order to move forward in life.

A man who loves words but can't speak them has to finally meet his on-line girlfriend.

That's a set-up for a full length rom-com, yet it takes care of business in just 12 minutes (as I wish most modern rom-coms would). It's a fine example of story-telling with maximum economy. This is what the best of Short Films do and "Stutterer" is one of the best, among this year's Oscar nominees at least (I'd put it a close second to "Day One").

Like a haiku or a sonnet, the short film can serve to distill a subject to it's essence. "Stutterer" is a fine example of the form. Bravo!