WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Time heals all wounds. We wish to embrace this, or at least hold onto SOME hope that it might ring true, when it comes to the past and hurts we’ve endured. While the circumstances that have brought on said hopes might vary, it only seems harder to believe in when those pains we are holding onto came from another person, especially one close to us. Whether it is days, weeks, months, years, or decades, does what we’re refusing to let go of only cause further disruption in shaping who’ve we’ve become and continue to be? And what happens when what’s been comes knocking, forcing us to confront it all again? Pastor Max Palmer (Hosea Chanchez) gets a deeply impactful reminder of this in the form of seeing estranged former friend Paul (Nick Wechsler) who shows up unexpectedly at the service for a mutual friend Jim (Robert Okumu). What will transpire from this tense reunion will re-shape the journey of both men more profoundly than either could possibly anticipate.
Next, my Mind:
Once more the present unflinchingly collides with the past in an earnestly painful then expressly stirring manner that paints a tapestry of brokenness, denial, reconnection, and unveiled truth which will forever transform the lives of two men thanks to this proficiently affecting short film that arrives courtesy of writer/director/producer/executive producer Michael Perez-Lindsey, writer/executive producer Rhett Lindsey, producers Alex Coffey and Valeria Lopez, along with additional executive producers Hosea Chanchez, Navid Hamid, William Mehserle Jr., Joseph Richards, and Cornell Verdeja-Woodson that will have upcoming screenings as a selection for the 20th Anniversary HollyShorts Film Festival, which runs August 8th-18th at the renowned TCL Chinese Theater, Los Angeles. Liberation from those things that we allow to imprison our very being is paramount, and to see films that are willing to address this with verity are equally needed.
As such, the narrative we’ve give here that sees two former friends being brought back together after decades apart and the catalyst by which they must then face their initially shared resentments towards one another with an already sorrowful event as its foundational backdrop is nothing short of blunt force, emotionally charged, persuasively provocative, NECESSARY reality being portrayed, even within the context of a fictional cinematic effort. What independent film DOES so blatantly well is thrust you as the viewer INTO real life, forcibly if needed at times, causing us to THINK about what factors being portrayed are legitimately relatable, accessible, and applicable to our own existence, that we actually might LEARN from what morals and thematic turns are conveyed, hopefully to become the better for it, even when also challenged by it. I felt this atmosphere was absolutely accomplished here with well-written, wholly grounded purpose and impact.
It is the uniqueness, the freshness, of the scenario unfolding before us, how it was so deftly written and then executed overall, that allows the film to swiftly ascend beyond “just another drama about people righting their errant attitudes” (which actually should never BE “just another…” in my opinion.) and venture into a realm where not only does it become ABOUT inward reconciliation, but also throws out a wonderfully crafted, revelatory third act leading to a finale that is simply divine, both heart-wrenching AND tear-inducingly inspiring, for this critic anyway. How a particular subject matter is breached is undeniably clever, and does befit the story smartly, not feeling like some “crutch” or cliché. Thematically, the film delves into the passage of time, freedom of youth, the times we remember when life felt infinite in that sense, plus a magnificently presented but sobering viewpoint of an insidious disease and how it can be experienced both medically and within the scope of our personal choices (with NO disrespect TO the disease itself and/or those who’ve suffered or are suffering/trying to overcome it).
Additionally, forays into aging, the regrets, mistakes/missteps we’ve made, holding fast to damaging attitudes, having the weight of the world upon us, the shaky ground of religiously-based judgements/prejudices, the desire to be seen for who we are while needing to accept it ourselves, racial pressures/expectations, and feeling forced to be what we really aren’t, and the reuniting OF hearts and belief are also present here to appropriately weighty effect. Chanchez delivers a performance that is unequivocally intense, heartfelt, utterly believable, and full of a fiery yet totally controlled fervency that resonates with you through his role as Max, a pastor overseeing the service for a beloved friend who ends up in a disrupted state of mind when a long-alienated former friend attends, compelling Max to attempt to avoid contact and acknowledgement of him as much as possible.
But, when a turn of fate brings the pair together again, and in the most awkward of circumstances, it elicits a series of truth-telling moments that will bring about a transfiguration of mindsets through unveiled honesty and the digging up buried hurts that will determine precisely what the film’s title asks, much to Max’s resistance at first. It’s a fantastically emotive performance Chanchez provides here. In similar fashion, Wechsler also brings forth an excellent magnitude of impassioned, more quietly dramatic, but no less ardent and evident emotional resolve through his performance as Paul, a long-absent presence in Max’s life who’s now chosen to reappear in support of the loss of their mutual friend. But, in doing so, it unburies baggage from the past that is more than obvious hasn’t been forgotten or concluded between them, and in spite of Paul’s more immediate attempts to seek the absolution that’s required, Max’s hesitancy and off-putting demeanor seems to sideline it until an unforeseen situation causes it not only to happen, but in a much more raw means than either are prepared for.
Yet, Paul presses in despite Max’s refusal to be a part of it at first, and once Paul is free to do his part in the matter, it truly does open things up to work towards a conclusion and confession Paul has been holding in for decades as has Max. It’s a powerfully volatile succession of instances the men experience, and Wechsler perfectly navigates his character through the highly vacillating moods and tones of their interactions with superb success and complete credibility, portraying the sharpness and poignancy of events with ease, strength, and vulnerability all at once. Primary supporting turns are made here first by Naomi Walley as Claire, the men’s friend Jim’s widow who makes an acute observation about Max during a conversation after he’s initially encountered Paul again. Richard Lawson is Gerald, Jim’s father who’s very glad to have Paul there, even if Max is not. Anna Maria Horsford plays Barbara, a local lawyer who as both a friend and professional must initiate the meeting of the two warring friends for a key session together that will unearth a world of truths long dormant.
Rosanny Zayas and Whitney Morgan Cox play Jessica and Beth respectively, two likewise essential players in the two men’s ventures into pained and redemptive truths. Robert Okumu appears mainly via image only as the men’s now-deceased friend Jim, who will become an exceptionally potent mediator between Max and Paul even though not actually present for the events. So, in total, “Will I See You Again?” not only begs and confronts that query from a refreshing but unequivocally penetrating perspective, but also manifests lessons in the constant need to LET GO of anger, hate, selfish notions, and destructive attitudes in order to ideally see a rekindling of abiding love and acceptance even through the pain, the emancipation to be REAL with yourself and the others closest to us whom we treasure the most, and, in doing so, uncover and embrace what’s at the very core of it all–FORGIVENESS.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
