Moving Takahashi

I found this short on Vimeo where it was picked as one of the Top 12 Videos of 2012.

Technically it is a very well crafted piece of film, with nicely lit and composed scenes, and some beautiful dreamy bokeh in the background :-) Image wise there's little not to like.

The story seemed intriguing enough, but I couldn't really get into it. At first, I wasn't sure if was the acting or the script, but something seemed off, like watching a staged play, not real life drama.

On 2nd viewing I had to give some credit back to the actors...it is hard to convey character in such a short format and they did probably what they could with the script that didn't really help them. (Even if I still think the guy handled his lines a bit better than the girl).

So it comes down to the script. The dialogues between the two main characters seemed forced and contrived, they sometimes even made me chuckle despite it being a serious scene. (I was like, "really? you would say that? come on...)

Despite all that, I rather enjoyed this short film and I'm sure next one from this director/screenwriter will be better again.

A pair of removal men are loading up a truck of good at a very well to- do house. The owners leave to go ahead to the next place, with the woman informing the men that her step-daughter is still in the house. When one of the movers goes up to clear her room, he finds her aggressive and just wanting to be left alone so that the overdose of pills she just took can take effect.

Although I am frequently guilty of it too, it does nark me a bit that the same people who would dismiss a blockbuster for being all superficial and no substance will forgive a short film for precisely the same thing. Most of the praise you will read on this film will generally lead with how professionally shot the whole thing is, with good cinematography and good use of the location. It also finishes with a big track from a big name (Jónsi) which again suggests this is not something banged out as a hobby. All of this is valid praise because the film does indeed look good. However you take one step beyond this and the problems are evident.

For me the base scenario never worked; it didn't ring true as an idea and the dialogue and characters didn't make it work. It feels like it is trying to be dark and quirky to be a romantic drama for a cynical modern audience, but rather than just "being" it felt like it was chasing this and trying too hard to the point where it was sprayed on like paint rather than engrained in the writing. This feeling is perfectly captured at the end of the film in the track by Jónsi. If the film had worked then this track would have complimented the quirky beauty of it all; however because the film doesn't work it just feels like yet another superficial push to create something that isn't really there.