★★★
Directed: #NicolaRose
Starring: #SierraBlanco, #DavidKaid
Biff & Me is a short film about two teenagers and their journey to discover who they are. Charlotte is an extremely bright girl, practically a genius with two very pushy parents who want nothing more than for her to excel academically. However, Charlotte’s true desire is to become a beauty queen and enter the local pageant. Biff, on the other hand, is Charlotte’s complete opposite as he is branded as the school’s notorious bully. His aim is to wreak havoc through the hallways and drive all his focus towards terrorising the other students and less into his studies. It was up to Charlotte to tutor Biff and bring his attention back to studying rather than allow him to torment the other pupils. During their time together, they learn they both have a mutual interest in becoming a beauty queen! A story about an unlikely pair of friends with a shared secret, an intriguingly witty story.
Biff & Me had a nice theme throughout, it shows young children the significance of being who you are and to ignore those around you that aim to crush your spirit and make fun of you. In this respect, it was a positive film with a humble message. Some of the humour was a little awkward in places but you could forgive this as it just fit with the quirkiness of the film. The cinematography should really be applauded, especially for a small budget film it looked extremely professional. A lot of thought was put into the costumes and locations which really portrayed its own uniqueness and lifted this piece entirely. The main characters were well rounded, particularly actress Sierra Blanco who played Charlotte. Sierra certainly shined through and wasn’t afraid to hold back on her acting skills. David Kaid who played the bully was a good match, you could tell perhaps he was slightly nervous in places and was a little restrained in some aspects of the short, however, his confidence will come with more experience. Regardless, both characters had amazing chemistry and bounced off each other well so it made the story flow a lot better.
This kid’s flick taught the audience a lot about breaking down walls especially for the character Biff. An extremely abrupt and shut off character, who’s only form of communication is through terrorizing others. His true self had become trapped in this tough exterior, having to keep up this appearance for his father and in front of his peers as an aggressive figure. Charlotte made it okay for Biff to be himself, to try on make-up, gowns, and dance and to express himself and this is when their friendship truly blossomed.
This was an encouraging short film, it really broke down the gender stereotypes which are prominent in today’s society and highlights to young children that it is always important to be whoever you want to be. You never know the kind of people you will meet in life who are likeminded, so it was lovely to watch something which can help teenagers, children even adults learn that it is always good to express yourself.
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