seanthedr

Caroline (2018)

Caring for a child

On a hot summer Texas day, outside of a tax service centre, Caroline (Caroline Falk), her brother, and sister are left in the car. Their mother (Celine Held), who is going to interview for a job, gives Caroline the keys to turn the A/C on. Unable to start the car, a woman (Tam Jackson) comes to the children's aid, sitting in the car while they wait for mom to return. The woman confronts the mother and an altercation breaks out. Directors Logan George and Celine Held explore the ideas of poverty, motherhood, and growing up fast in the Southern US in their 2018 short film Caroline.

The setting of a minivan struck out to me to symbolize the state the family is in. The car was littered with toys. It's clear that the children had spent a lot of time in the car. The routine of putting on the mother's lipstick and entertaining her siblings was something Caroline had experience with. Without a second parent in the picture it seems that Caroline has taken the role of caregiver when the mother is gone. The mother is the family's breadwinner while Caroline cares for the children.

The choice of sound design was very apparent. The sound was from Caroline's perspective throughout the film. Noises of adults outside the car were constantly Charlie Brown muffled. But when conflict starts to occur George and Held bring the sound to a disorientating high. The reason being it creates the sense of panic a young child would have seeing their mother in a state of danger.

The directors have created a truly unique film that utilizes interesting setting and sound choices. But these choices pale in comparison to the acting skill of Caroline. She was the linchpin of the film. She created a character that any viewer would naturally care for and emphasize with. The viewer immediately connects with Caroline and wants the world for her. Caroline is a superb movie that everyone with children should see.