Henry Short Film Review

★★★

Directed by: #MatthewKyleLevine

Starring: #AlexScarlatos, #TateKenney, #SheaGlasheen, #TimothyJCox

Short Film Review by: Alexandra James

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Henry is a short film following one man’s journey to self-discovery. Henry is a simple and naïve young man who is completely unsure of himself and unable to determine what he truly wants in life. The story is confusing and curious in a lot of places due to the narrative not having a clear linear movement of events, the story is fragmented, and the audience are compelled to piece together bit by bit the full picture to understand the character himself. Henry is an obscure short film which explores the psyche of our lead character and his voyage across the desert.

The film begins with images of Las Vegas at night, it is vibrant and colourful, full of bright lights but also a city which holds many sins. Henry travels towards the city and is staying at the Planet Hollywood hotel alone. He is instantly established as a lonely and fragile character, his presence throughout the film is awkward and he seems uncomfortable within his own skin. There are no character interactions which are face to face, instead we are fed information though phone calls. We discover that Henry has a fiancé which seems like a disjointed relationship as soon after the call, Henry dabbles in the Vegas escort services made available to him. His timid nature and innocence to the whole scenario was extremely apparent and the audience wonder what this character wants out of life, is it marriage or the bachelor lifestyle? Both seem completely out of character for him. Soon, our protagonist ventures out to the desert to find what he truly needs in life.

Again, more phone calls are made but this time from his father who seems almost disappointed to hear his son’s voice. Another piece of the puzzle falls into place, as the audience listen in and determine the dynamics within their troubled relationship. With no phone signal or water, the trip turns into a sinister expedition across the dry, remote desert. Henry becomes disorientated and desperate to escape. His journey to find himself becomes a challenge of survival, stripped away of all luxuries, Henry wanders aimlessly whilst the calls of his family echo throughout the scene.

This was an unusual short film as it was difficult to predict the overall message of this short. However, the story left a lot of room for interpretation and allowed the audience to digest the characters and their peculiar personalities, as well as shape out their path and purpose within the film.