Writer-director Jordan Bayne, who started out as an actor, smartly relies almost entirely on the performances of her actors. She gives them long close-ups, lets the camera linger, and allows the viewer to get pulled into the characters' inner conflict. She cast the film well and trusted her actors.
As one would expect, Leo ("Frozen River") dives right into her performance as an exhausted, desperate mother who feels she has lost everything that's important to her: her marriage, her daughter, and her faith. Sara struggles to make it through the day without breaking down, but in the scene where she finally does, Leo's raw, jaw-dropping performance can take an audience's breath away.
Gerety ("The Wire") is so perfectly cast, his fisherman Sonny seems to smell like seawater. He turns in an outstanding and multilayered performance, particularly in a scene in which he's shocked by Sara, and in a great monologue where he wonders to a friend about humanity and suffering.
Hutchinson's sick Angelina is a familiar portrait of someone whose pain has gone on far too long. Anyone who has had an ill family member would agree that Hutchinson didn't go overboard; she played the role just right, and her performance in the last scene is heartbreaking.
Though this film might have dragged on as a feature, it packs an emotional punch as is, reminding you that even in the darkest places, family, hope, and love can be found. Bring a tissue or two to this one.
Genre: Drama, Short
Written and directed by Jordan Bayne
Starring Melissa Leo, Peter Gerety, Kelly Hutchinson
