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★★★★★
Directed by: Chad Hamilton Starring: Falon Joslyn, Jonathan Noto, Mike Yak, Allia Abouelenein, Steven Zettler and Chad Hamilton Short Film Review by: Rachel Pullen
We live in a time of amazing cinema. Directors can create amazing scenes and lands for their characters to run wild in thanks to the development of green screen, we have access to amazing shots and cinematography due to the development of cameras, we pretty much can do anything, create anything and wow anyone on the silver screen, but that does not mean we should forget the most important part....a good storyline.
Simplicity can often have a greater impact than the most visually stimulating special effects, and that simplicity can speak volumes with a good storyline, and that’s exactly what has happened with director Chad Hamilton’s short film, Not Yet.
Not Yet is the tale of a husband and his sick wife played by Falon Joslyn and Jonathan Noto, on a trip to the local park in an attempt to raise the spirits of the wife, yet despite his efforts she can barely struggle a smile. No flowers, nor beautiful music is helping her out of her miserable condition, but when he throws a stone which causes a domino effect of unfortunate accidents for the other park users she finally breaks into laughter.
Yet despite the husband achieving his goal it takes him into a flashback of vivid and brightly colourful memories of happier times between the pair, when she was healthy and well, when they had their lives in front of them.
The colourful nature of the flashbacks is something that is important within the short, Hamilton plays colours off each other, in the park, on what seems like a bleak day, the wife still has a presence of life to her with her vibrant head scarf, complementing the blooming flower she clutches in her hands. These colours then guide us into the flashbacks which feel warm and inviting, the soft oranges and pinks flood our screens and draw us into a sense of security and maybe our own pleasant headspace.
Using colour and music is the dominate stimulant within this short, there is no dialogue which in itself speaks greatly, it reminds us that the unconditional love we are seeing between the couple needs no words, they are able, like most long term lovers, to communicate how they feel through a look, a gesture or touch.
At the end of the day Not Yet is about just that, the unconditional love we can possess for others, be it in the lightest of times or the darkest, if you love someone you will be there no matter what.
This is an emotionally moving piece, pulled together by a simple yet effective storyline, but despite the bleak undertone between the husband and his dying wife, Hamilton splices in some old slapstick comedy, allowing the viewer a reminder that things are not so bad. We feel sad with the wife, but we also laugh with her, getting the sense that Hamilton uses this comedy to remind us that we have the same responses to stimulants such and love and laughter no matter what physical or mental state we are in.
This enjoyable piece has won many awards, and I am not surprised, Hamilton hits the nail on the head so well that he drove it through the plank with one clean smack from his directing hammer of perfection, kudos to you my friend.
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