After two years of sitting outside the coffee shop, one man (Brent Nowak) decides to follow the love of his life, Kimberly, home. In his mind, they've been about as close as two people can be for those last two years, but in another world (the real world) she's been living with another man, Rick Butcher, in a life without the coffee shop lurker.
My previous experience with Brent Nowak was with his film "Harvest Moon", which I ended up reviewing as part of my work for a horror movie website. I was quite pleased, both because the film was very professional and well-crafted for a man with a limited budget, but also because Nowak was a Wisconsin native like myself, allowing me the opportunity to have a little pride in my state. "Lost Love" doesn't just give me the pride "Harvest Moon" did, it exceeds it.
Although this short film was made prior, I almost feel like more love and dedication were put into these ten minutes. The acting is excellent from all parties, the plot is very concise and focuses on a dark desire I think many of us have felt -- seeing that one girl (or guy) and wondering what it would be like to be a part of their life. This film just takes it that extra step.
I enjoyed the music. It was subtle, and unless you intentionally listen for it, you probably won't be able to notice. It worked very well to keep the pace going and to create an atmosphere, and for the credits we're given a more energetic rap-rock song to wake us up from the dreamscape we just fell into. A similar song was used for the "Harvest Moon" credits, and I enjoyed it there, as well. The sound was rather poor, but this may have been due to the fact I watched it online rather than through a proper medium.
What really sold me was the camera shots and the use of space. These mark a good director, in my opinion. So often a director gets credit for a good story, when it's not even his story (though, in this case, Nowak is pretty much responsible for all of it). A director ought to be judged on his directing. Three things stood out for me: one, the use of the camera as a voyeur tool. It often was partially hidden behind things and in one scene it pans across behind a staircase to behind a wall in one fluid motion. We take the voyeur and become a voyeur for him. This layered effect was beautiful.
Two, there was a fair amount of "shaky-cam". In some cases this is just simply a cameraman who has no tripod and can't keep his hands steady. But here, it seems intentional: we're put in a world where things are uneasy and there's a level of tension. I was caught for a brief moment wondering what would become of the couple in this film -- something horrendous? Something magical? I wasn't allowed to be comfortable.
And third, the use of space in general. One scene has Rick Butcher in bed, clearly taking up only a half of the bed (even the colors hint that the halves are purposeful). This is a strong visual cue, even before Rick opens his mouth, that something is missing and amiss. Where is Kimberly? Using space to show us not only what is there but what isn't is very important.
At only ten minutes, there's no reason this film shouldn't be checked out. It's a tight, well-crafted presentation of a very plausible (though hopefully non-existent) scenario that could happen in almost any town in the world. If you've grown up in coffee shop culture, you know these sorts of people. The lurkers, the beady-eyed lechers. And this time the lurker steps out of the shadows.
