Sylvia

Sylvia was shown in Attleboro, MA. I viewed it in the company of friends.

The lessons are legion, but I carry with me one major take-away: The love we are fortunate enough to experience in this brief life is entirely durable as long as we breath -- and this can be both a blessing and a haunting, often simultaneously.

The unfolding is startling; the story is told going forward but later one is forced to look back over all that preceded the ending for full understanding. Masterful.

The material could have been handled in a sugary manner. It was anything but saccharine.The expertise of all involved meant I was taken completely by surprise at the conclusion and was left completely gobsmacked emotionally.

I immediately thought, as a avid film viewer, this one is Oscar-worthy.

OK, full disclosure: I know the writer/director Richard Prendergast from our old days making snowboard magazines and videos. So when he gave me a sneak preview to what he'd been up to since we last spoke a couple of years ago, I watched with interest mixed with dread - what if it sucked, and I had to pretend I'd enjoyed it? Faking it is not my style.

Luckily, I had nothing to worry about. Prendi's come a long, long way since we last worked together, and this elegantly crafted short is a gem. I don't want to give away too much, but Sylvia is clever, touching and comes with a devastatingly effective twist in the tail. But the true payoff was finding out this tale is based on a true story. I'll leave it at that...

Sylvia packs a punch. The acting was incredible, the storyline is so powerful it takes you on a complete emotional rollercoaster. I laughed, I cried and then I cried some more. The cinematograpraphy and grade are beautiful. A must watch!

A delicate and emotionally touching piece. A beautiful debut which hopefully spawns some well deserved careers.

Sylvia is one of those short films that sticks with you long after watching. The excellent production value and writing delivers a brilliantly subtle interpolation into the journey that packs an emotional punch!

I won't give anything else away other than that this film is a sheer delight. A great achievement for both cast and crew.