We’re all going to get old and die, and some of us may not even see old age. But for those of us who sit up at nights wondering what being elderly will entail and how coming to terms with old age would be like, Dan Masucci confronts the topic quite well with “Against the Wind,” a dramatic short about an old man looking back at his life. “Against the Wind” was especially gripping for me, as Masucci manages to touch on actual fears people in my position have had.
What will it be like? Will we lose our minds? Will we become senile? Will our deaths be painful? Will we die peacefully in our sleep? Will we be forgotten? “Against the Wind” confronts many inevitabilities that we eventually face and properly does so in a graceful method that makes aging into a beautiful and rather poetic evolution that will bring us into a deeper state of mind rather than just signaling our impending fates at the hands of grim death. Actor Michael F. Hates gives a touching portrait of a man whose seen many woes and hardships in his life, but looks back with a sense of accomplishment however minimal we may perceive the accomplishments to be. Masucci brings to the center a sensitive but rather thought provoking topic that keeps “Against the Wind” a constant treat.
The problem with “Against the Wind” that ensured me not completely going nuts for it is that Masucci’s film tend to be reliant on an overkill of sap and sentimentalism that keeps it from ever feeling like a genuine emotional effort, as it often watched like Masucci was trying desperately to gauge a tear from us. The sap and sentiment are so heavy in fact, that for the first two minutes it feels like we’re watching a commercial to life insurance. It never truly felt like a movie until it reached its final act. Admittedly, Masucci’s film can come on too strong with the first two minutes feeling an awful lot like a commercial, but “Against the Wind” explores enough interesting themes for me to forgive its evident flaws, in the end. That and the strong performances make it a worthy short film.