It is almost unbearable as we witness the raw brutality of Charlie facing the bully and his friends. Charlie is dressing very proper and does also have the same style on his glasses as his father. This can tell us something about the fact that he really looks up to his father, and wants to be as him. Charlie is constantly reading in a book about his fathers disease, which shows the audience that he is very interested and immersed in finding out what he can do to help. Or how he can maybe try to understand what is happening to his father. This shows courage as he is facing the hard truth of what the diagnoses really mean and can or will lead to.




There are several shots of trees in the film, with magnificent lens flares drawing parallels to such as how Charlie feels rootless in his new school. Where he has no friends, and just the bully picking on him. It can also symbolise the great roots of family, and how family stick together and always try to do whats best for one another. Additionally the tree can also be explained to represent what a steady and strong person Charlie´s father truly is.





Truly an astonishing story told in a good pace, where you as an audience tend to forget time and place, as you are dragged in to this lovely film universe. Mark manages to create something unique, touching, relevant and real in the space of only 12 minutes. Yet, the film does feel like lasting for longer, and in the best way possible, because as a viewer it makes me want it to. I dont want it to end, and he manages to create a hope in me, a hope that it won't end the way my mind thinks it will. As it is crucial to catch the audience and drag them in to the action, it has to be said that Mark pulls that off just perfectly.




What I like particularly with this film is first and foremost the even and consistent flow of the story, as well as the cinematography! Oh my, the cinematography is what I would phrase as goals. The lense flares, the great focus in each shot, the framing and shot sizes. I love it all. I even struggled to choose which screenshots from the film to use, because each and every shot is amazing. The story telling and cinematography combined makes the most perfect atmosphere come to life before the eyes of the audience.



The colour palette used is also very appealing, and I really like how all the colours are complementary to one another. The "sandy" kind of look it has to it, brings forward the felling of hope, even in the most hardest and saddest times. Everything from furniture, to clothing to props is matching in the same scheme, making it seamlessly sewn together.



How this film has influenced my own project is by how well Mark has managed to make the story feel so raw and real. I got really inspired by the handheld camera technique, and as I mentioned a bit earlier, to me the whole cinematography is goals. I also like the voice over, as this is also something I tend to use as a tool in the films I create. And in general I think this has to be my main inspiration for my project.

If you look at Mark´s other work on his Vimeo channel, it is clearly that this dude has talent! His achievements in filmfestivals reflects this. As well as his own style and way of doing things, which I really like. There is only left to say, how much I enjoyed and loved this film, and that I can't wait to see what he brings to the screen in the future.

       
       Guests (Official Selection 2014 Telluride Film Festival) from Mark Columbus on Vimeo.