Joseph Mazzello has made an accomplished debut as a writer-director with this 30-minute short on the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy. The film was made pretty much on a shoestring (with most of the financing coming from members of Mazzello's fan club), but the result is quite impressive. It was clearly a labor of heartfelt love, and resonates with emotion. The tale of how three siblings react to the sudden deaths of their parents could easily have made for a maudlin film. Yet, Mazzello's care with his actors and the understated tone he imparts to the production result in a moving, inspirational effort. The performances of Rachel Leigh Cook and Nick Heyman as two of the siblings and Gwen Van Dam as the grandmother are fine and brimming with honesty, and David Strathairn puts in a warm cameo in a flashback as the father. Most essential to the success of this film is the performance of Joseph Mazzello himself as the brother and son who holds the family together. He shows an impressive range in his reactions to his plight, running the gamut from weary resignation to rage to hopeful determination. In this, he confirms the talent he displayed as a child star, and surpasses his previous work. And he shows great promise as both a writer and director. Though focusing on the situation of one particular family, Mazzello presents observations and comfort to a nation that is still grieving over a shared catastrophe. It's quite an achievement for a 23-year-old, and hopefully the beginning of a storied career along the lines of his fellow red-headed ex-child star Ron Howard.
