This year the El Dorado Film Festival once again showcased the Top 5 finalists from last Fall’s Louisiana Film Prize. The ever impressive Louisiana Film Prize is a Shreveport-based short film competition and festival that was founded in 2012. As it routinely does, this year’s block included an exciting array of voices belonging to some truly intriguing filmmakers from across the country.
Here are a few impressions from this year’s block…
Alexander Jeffery directs, writes, edits, and produces “The Old Man at the Bar”, a thoughtful and transporting short that subtly hearkens back to the timeless filmmaking of old. Sumptuously shot with a striking eye for detail, Jeffrey ushers us into a Paris bar where two servers (Abby Tozer and Noah Silver) are closing for the night. But before they can, in walks an older American gentleman (Stan Brown) who takes a seat at a table and orders a bottle of wine. From there we simply observe as the three share an encounter that challenges one of them to re-examine their heart. It’s elegantly crafted by Jeffery and driven by three terrific performances, none better than the superb Tozer who conveys the very essence of her character yet leaves so much to our imagination. She’s a crucial part of what makes this gem shine.
VERDICT – 5/5
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Rachael Hudson’s “Girl Dad” is an endearing short film that has the kind of lingering impact that will stick with fathers of all makes and models. Hudson’s evocative direction brings writer and star Ty Hudson’s deeply affecting story to life. He plays a father named Anthony who we observe playing with his daughter Emily during various phases of her life. It starts when Emily is 5-years-old and continues until she’s in her early teens. During each stop on their timeline we’re fed morsels of information about their relationship. And while their connection is undeniably heartwarming, it’s Hudson’s deeper interests that give the movie an emotional punch that you won’t soon get over.
VERDICT – 4.5/5
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The very premise of writer-director Michael Cusumano’s “Last Minute” should resonate with any of us parents with good and/or bad memories of those late-night homework sessions in the pre-internet days. The exhaustion, the frustrations, the verbal sparring. But also the laughs, the connections, and the bonding that we may not have fully appreciated in the moment. Set in 1989, Cusumano’s story follows a single mom, Jackie (a wonderful Charity Schubert) and her 12-year-old son, Jason (Espyn Doughty) rushing to complete a science project that he forgot to mention until the night before it was due. Anyone old enough to remember 1989 will love the details scattered throughout. But it’s the colorful and authentic mother/son relationship at its core that gives the film its heartbeat.
VERDICT – 4/5
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The confounding healthcare industry gets some much-deserved scrutiny in writer-director John F. Beach’s surprising and insightful genre-bender “M.R.I. (or, Michael Returns Indefinitely”). Beach also stars in the film, playing a man named Michael who faces a series of unexplainable peculiarities while visiting his doctor for a scheduled M.R.I. exam. This bonkers blend of suspense, science-fiction, and black comedy wildly finds much of its inspiration in Beach’s own personal experiences. It’s all bound together by a clever script and some keen craftsmanship, highlighted by impressive visuals and striking sound design. Meanwhile its message isn’t spoon-fed to us, yet it hits like a hammer (as it should).
Keith & the Movies 