A young couple decides that it is time to reconnect with one of their fathers. This meeting is not done as you’d expect and doesn’t go as they expect.
Written and directed by Sarah Sellman, this short film packs an emotional punch that is quite effective. The writing here is fantastic and the direction works great with it. There is a lot in this short’s runtime, and it makes the most of it all, without feeling over-done or over-wrought. The film here is carefully written, carefully directed, and brings the story to screen in just the right way here. Sellman takes an emotional situation and with a few scenes makes it bigger than one could expect. There is a lot said here, just about as much as what is left unsaid but is obvious.
The cast here is small but solid. The lead of Gilly is played by Aoife Commons who is just right for the part, giving her character life and depth, giving the viewer a character easy to connect to and understand. Joining her is Cat Coyle as Lana who makes the most of their short screen time with a strong, yet sad performance. Rounding out the case are Sean Donegan as David and Sarah Fahy as Rose. The cast as a whole is solid with Commons and Coyle being the strongest performances, the ones that ground this film and get the viewer to connect with the characters. Production duties were handled by Maya Korn and Leeona Duff.
The film’s look here is simple yet effective, with cinematography by Alba Fernandez and editing by David Formentin that work together just right for the story. The work here knows when to linger and when to cut away, when to zoom in and when to stay at a distance for the emotions displayed in the scene at hand. The work here is non-flashy and more calculated to let the emotions come through than to full of action which is just right here.
As a whole, Gillyfish is a great short film that shows proper use of the short format and really packs an emotional punch from pretty early on with one particular scene come off very strong in terms of emotions. The story won’t be for everyone, but those it is for should absolutely love it. The craftsmanship on display here is superb with scenes that stand out and stay with you for a while. The way everything is done, planned, calculated, and yet still allowed to breath is the best way to show folks how to do a film like this.