What a great film! The viewer is drawn into this story from the first scene, not only because the conversation about the concept of time discussed in this in scene is so interesting, but also because this same conversation connects the viewer to both of the main characters, Sam and Jimmy, on a deep, emotional level. I mean, how many of us haven't grappled with the dismal feeling that our future was behind us, Iike Sam does? Or, experienced the same crushing sense of disappointment as Jimmy does when we'd realized that the shelf life of our dreams had expired? How many of us haven't searched for Jimmy's blissful state of no time no mind? As the film progresses, the viewer begins to wonder if these characters, Sam in particular, will be able to move past his sense of loss and grief, and accept and embrace an uncertain future. With the world still reeling from the unforeseen and devastating effects of the pandemic, I'm sure that many of us are wondering the same thing about ourselves. There are no elaborate special effects in this short film, no grand blow up scenes or mind blowing car chases to add to the grand finale. Instead, what we have are the powerful performances of Ian Buchanan and Billy Wirth, both of whom have more than enough screen presence to keep the audience thoroughly engaged from the first line to the last. Hats off to Sheri Sussman for her fine writing and directing. I'm looking forward to watching the full length movie, Sam's Place, when it's released.
