Pigeon

I'm fortunate enough to get to see short films through a program on public television called "The Short List" which seasonally features selected short films from around the world.

Wow! What a dramatic impact in such a short time. In the space of about 10 minutes this film builds to a point of high suspense. Also, inside of that time, we are introduced to man, given insight into his character, shown the wide variety of emotions that pass through him -- all without a word from the actor. The other major character in the film her own triumph in acting on two levels: someone who is acting as though she is acting.

Mysteriously, as of this writing more than half of the raters have given this film the supreme rating of 10, but its overall IMDb rating hovers around 4.0. Huh???!

This is a great little film. Its makers should proud and you should be so lucky as to see it.

This film deserves to be amongst the titles of the greats. It is full of insightful moments of fear and compassion in such a short yet powerful journey. The story takes place during World War Two, as an older Jewish, man played by Michael Lerner, gets on to a train in order to escape Nazi occupied France only to be left at the mercy of a German Officer. At this point the character played by the wonderful Wendy Crewson gets involved.

This piece is based on a true story and superbly acted by both Lerner and Crewson, with superb cinematography by Mitchell T. Ness. It is beautifully directed by the great up and coming director Anthony Green who is hugely talented and who will, at this rate, be at the top of his game in no time soon.