Director: Yannick Barbara
Writer: Yannick Barbara
Cast: Yannick Barbara, Olivia Tello, Frankie Toms, Onisha Wilsi
Running time: 20mins
Short films are so much more than just ‘first taste of film work’ or indications of budget limitations for directors. They can be a full story, a beautiful moment, the sneak peak in human experience, and so much more. A short film can (and should) stand on its own as a unique and complete piece of work.
That being said, the short film Syndrome is a probably on the other side, the first experience of a team working together, and it will be viewed as such in this text. The film focuses on one character and his journey through pain, grief, and his effort to fit in and start over in university.
The first frame is already showing the audience the main plot points: a phone with the image of a young woman as a background and an alarm for medication. These details tell the audience everything they need to know without overexplaining the character’s motivation; a great way to visually transfer information in a quick way without diminishing the audience’s comprehension skills.
The character, Leo, is struggling with an illness, and is shown to express his pain and grief throughout the film. Although it is never explicitly said what happened to his loved one, or who exactly she was, his emotions are overflowing and are used as a limit for his future interactions, something made clear with the scenes where he is in therapy. While those scenes are a bit, as we say, ‘on the nose’, they help the plot progress and for the viewer to get a deeper understanding of the character. The acting is decent but is limited because of the dialogue choices.
When it comes to short films, it is important that all parameters align for serving the story in the best way possible. While the effort here is evident, and it is certain that the director is headed down the right path, there are some ‘hiccups’ regarding the technical issues. First of all, as a composer I love it when a director is not afraid to use music more than just as underscore; however here the music is used way too much, and the piece itself is more expressive than needed. The way the acting is directed and with such expressive dialogue it feels redundant to have the music do so much. The acting of the main character is also a bit much, but it really gets the message along, and it is also toned down while the film progresses, which helps the viewer understand that the character really needs company and a ‘fresh start’.
Speaking on a more practical note, there are some sound issues that are hard to overlook, but it becomes easily clear that it is a matter of experimenting and inexperience. On the other hand, making a film is the perfect practice and the stepping stone for the amelioration of the skills of the filmmakers. As long as they all have the same passion and urgency for their stories, I am positive we will see more and more films from the cast and crew.
Overall, there is enough intention and effort for the film to influence the audience and make them think twice before judging a person or put them in a box. While there is room for improvement, I did find myself thinking about the film again. When the director practices more with dialogue writing skills, it is sure that he will have mor stories to tell and explore through the character work.
The story and the character development are solid, and so with a bit more work on the field and more boldness in the writing, I am excited to see where the director goes next.
