The path of creative pursuits is circuitous, deceptive, and often entirely missing until a relentless artist comes along to somehow conjure it with their work. The short film is a beautiful, heartfelt, and poignant exploration of the same proposition. At its heart is the articulate protagonist Thad Cockrell, a gifted musician who discovered how closely intertwined his happiness is with music very early on in his life. 

Through our introduction to Cockrell, 'To Be Enjoyed' presents a moving narrative of love for one’s art, but also of the many obstacles that plague such an equation. The unforgiving pursuit can often fail all arguments of rationality and logic, and yet, the artist returns every day to commit themselves to it each time. Cockrell himself describes it as a kind of madness, but the overarching emotion that he infuses into the film, one that becomes its driving force, is the reminder that the world needs new stories, and for them to exist, people have to live them. 

Cockrell himself is one such story - presenting to us a life of obscurity that eventually finds its way on the Jimmy Fallon show in the most unlikely manner! This realm of creativity, failure, and the stubborn refusal to give up is portrayed with sustained long shots, coupled with deeply soulful vocals of the protagonist himself. The many components tied together present a meaningful endeavor that will remind you that it’s never too late, as long as you are turning up each day to take just another stab at what you truly love.

To Be Enjoyed | Short Film of the Month

Using a highway as its predominant visual, the film invokes a conversation on family as well as faith. While the emotional elements still have a thematic affinity, tying it with the physical space of a barren heath makes for an interesting choice. A woman is driving in the middle of nowhere when she gets a disconcerting phone call from her worried father. Bad reception ensures that it gets disconnected at the most inopportune moment, leaving the protagonist in complete uncertainty about where things truly stand. The same sense of suffocating duress is conjured by the sight of her, almost non-existent against a massive landscape which threatens to swallow her any moment. The rest of the film then simply becomes a portrayal and echo of the severe stress she has to battle as she endeavours to make it to her destination as soon as possible. It is in this uncertainty that faith makes its presence felt, both literally, by way of a crucifix that is a pivotal car accessory in the scene, as well as metaphorically in the form of an invisible force that keeps the woman going. No easy task to undertake, to display all of these emotions without truly using any exchange of dialogues, the film comes across as an expert attempt. It is only during the final reveal that the viewer is consciously made to realise how deeply involved they had become in the story all along. However, will this realisation come with a sigh of relief or despair?

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