When They First | Short Film of the Day

Spotlight March 29, 2023

When They First

By Bennett Valentine with 6.8

romance · Short Films · english

The happy memory of what it once was when contrasted against a painful present is what constitutes ‘When They First’. The title, a deliberate incomplete sentence, bolsters this juxtaposition further, as it introduces us to the two characters and the circuitous trajectory of their relationship.

The visuals are paired with a completely opposite voiceover, the dual elements of the narrative representative of the two said realities in the lives of the characters. The storytelling is marked by a freshness of voice which allows the film to succeed as a cohesive whole.

The young team, from the director-writer to the actors and the cinematographer, all evidence notable strengths. Finally, despite a few rough edges, the exploration of the romance presented thus remains marked by an unmissable intimacy, along with a seamless overlap of its many elements.
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