Cramming is a beautiful exploration of a single moment that throws the friendship of two boys into complete chaos. Alex and Yan Bo are waiting for their final assessment to begin. While the former has clearly worked towards it, the latter is confirming the span of the syllabus meant for the test only a few minutes ahead of it. However, the result of the assessment reveals that one of them has copied all the answers from the other. While the viewer can easily ascertain who copied from whom, the teachers, and the disciplinary committee they have put together, are as far from this clarity as one can be. 

 On the face of it, the premise of the film is fairly direct and simple, but it is indeed the simplest stories that carry the deepest meaning and message. Cramming is a perfect example of the same. For the viewer, it brings to life a marked delineation of an instance that can serve as a memory that perhaps each of them would be able to relate to, one that comes carrying strong links to their own past of nervousness, anxieties and stress before an important examination. Additionally, the meticulous attention to detail that the film pays to this moment, allows it an authenticity that enables the story an undeniable connect with the audience.

 The film is subtle, but powerful and lucid in every intention that it communicates for the viewer, acquiring a freshness of tone, marked by the most effortless and unexpected moments of humor. It further brings to life a nuanced, but potent conversation on prejudice and bias which prestigious institutions exhibit in their treatment of pupils, a form of stereotyping and inert discrimination that stems, and unfortunately often trickles down, from the adults and the custodians of power themselves, as opposed to the children who are yet to be inducted entirely into society. As for our two lead characters, they exhibit vastly different personalities, expertly pronounced by the filmmaking approach of Dan Perlman, to infuse a deeply enriching layer to the story, ensuring that the viewer is as invested in the fate of their friendship as the characters themselves. 

 On the whole, the film raises important questions about interpersonal dynamics, the nature of friendship which can range from unbreakable to extremely fragile depending upon its handling, the manner in which bias operates in society, leading to the Othering of an unsuspecting, reticent child, how two people with contrasting personalities can be drawn to each other. In its engagement with these aspects, the narrative does not bog itself down with bombastic or didactic views. Among its other strengths, it is notably in this that the success of Cramming lies.

Cramming | Short Film of the Month

Boyhood is a labyrinth of self-doubt, the pursuit of imagined confidence, young romances, and the many complex struggles of everything all of this entails. Our two characters, Edwin and Steven, navigate it with an endearing charm, and in the process, without trying or consciously intending, simplify a complex experience, condensing it into something entertaining, amusing, and heartfelt. 
The two may have no idea of how the world functions, but they are full of how it functions in their own individual realms, and there is no stopping them from using that as a manual for the situations life presents. While one of them struggles to ask out a girl, the other is trying to write and act, to overcome personal inhibitions. Essentially, both boys hope to move towards finding a way to express themselves before a world that seems alien and distanced, be it a crush or a theatre audience. 
The film does a wonderfully effortless job of tying the two together. Additionally, the boys’ attempts to find a physical space to hang out with each other is an echo of the emotional space too that they seek, one where all of these uncertainties have been resolved. In the portrayal of all of this and some more, the film efficiently utilizes the chemistry of the two actors and presents a screenplay, as well as a final result, that is wholesome and balanced in a complete manner.

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