There is more than just the film going on here and, although it shouldn't be like this, you probably get more from the film knowing the background. I came to this film after doing some data corrections to the work of the late actress Vivienne Chandler, and to check this was her work I watched this short film. I had read quite a bit about her beforehand, so I knew the nature of her death (1 year after this film) and that she had battled cancer up until the end. In this film the plot is one of hope in the face of a terminal illness, as a woman finds strength in her friend and her dreams.
To view the film without this context doesn't help anyone, because frankly it is not much good. The material is clunky and every scene is delivered in a self-conscious manner with heavy use of music over the top of everything. The script is very fragmented, so nothing flows but is rather delivered in blocks, which doesn't help the two actresses deliver either. As such it feels overly earnest but doesn't really warrant it, and in turn this robs it of the flow and natural presence it needed to have. Because of this, director and writer Tilly should be grateful for the casting of Chandler.
Primarily what Chandler brings is the knowledge that she is fighting cancer in real life – and that only a year after this film, she would be dead from it. This gives the film more than it deserves to have, and also means that Chandler's performance has that extra bit that comes retrospectively. I guess it both a joy but also difficult for her family to watch. Unfortunately she cannot lift the film as a whole, and it is limited by the writing, the heavy music, the lack of naturalism to the whole production. The real situation behind the character adds something to the film, but being honest, the rest of the short really doesn't deserve that help.
To view the film without this context doesn't help anyone, because frankly it is not much good. The material is clunky and every scene is delivered in a self-conscious manner with heavy use of music over the top of everything. The script is very fragmented, so nothing flows but is rather delivered in blocks, which doesn't help the two actresses deliver either. As such it feels overly earnest but doesn't really warrant it, and in turn this robs it of the flow and natural presence it needed to have. Because of this, director and writer Tilly should be grateful for the casting of Chandler.
Primarily what Chandler brings is the knowledge that she is fighting cancer in real life – and that only a year after this film, she would be dead from it. This gives the film more than it deserves to have, and also means that Chandler's performance has that extra bit that comes retrospectively. I guess it both a joy but also difficult for her family to watch. Unfortunately she cannot lift the film as a whole, and it is limited by the writing, the heavy music, the lack of naturalism to the whole production. The real situation behind the character adds something to the film, but being honest, the rest of the short really doesn't deserve that help.