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First, the Recap:
Attestation. Substantiation. Validation. All terms to represent the burden of being able to provide evidence of something to be proven correct, approved, and free of anything that would otherwise be intentionally influenced by dubious motives or means to deceive in order that what is being sought after can be gained. However, can such unrelenting scrutiny actually be applied to love? For one young Pakistani woman named Iman (Preeti Gupta), all life would be is filled with the undying adoration and connection she maintains with Evan (Jacopo Rampini), whom she met in New York as a fellow film student. Now, though, unforeseen circumstances arise that put her square in the crosshairs of a stern and highly intense immigration officer (Robert L. Wilson), whose job it is to find out if her planned nuptials to Evan is based on actual facts, demanding she provide proof. The question then becomes, can tangible proof be provided for love, and is there another secret within Iman that could threaten the outcome?
Next, my Mind:
Having its world premier at the inaugural 2019 New York City South Asian Film Festival sponsored by Toyota USA, this 12-minute indie short film from writer/director/producer Nora Jaenicke, along with producer Richard A. Stein and executive producers Sonny Chatrath and Darren Cole, carries with it deeply ingrained thematic explorations of multiple subjects ranging from all-encompassing love, the consequences of secrets, racial profiling, invasion of privacy, and questioning the tangibility and qualification of an emotion that so often goes well beyond any words or objects used to express it. What makes the film so effective is that it then takes all these elements and deftly places them into such an abbreviated timeframe so that the full impact of the narrative’s events are felt from start to finish in highly effective and stirring ways that run the gamut of the spectrum from blissful highs utilized in the effort’s flashback sequences to volatile, borderline menacing tone during the equally intense interrogation scenes.
And the sheer extremes it portrays when it comes to this contemporary society’s ethnic and racial phobias plus just the overt skepticism levied towards someone by another stands out here and therefore makes this story one grander cautionary tale, painting the realities of not being truthful, but at the same time allowing us to bask in the affecting beauty and desperation of real, wholehearted love being put on the line, fought for, and hopefully won, leading to one amazingly haunting finale. The visual delivery her greatly assists the viewer in being engaged as well, for the camera angles and images change so drastically but impactfully from the cold starkness of the interrogation room distance and close-ups of the two characters involved to the softness and dare I say sensual nature of the warmer moments that showcase the depth, abiding devotion, and unabashed desire exists between Iman and Evan. Likewise, the film’s underlying music score from composer Victor Gangl accompanies these dramatic and emotive elements wonderfully as well.
Performance in indie cinema to me is even more paramount than mainstream, as character development and the grounded sensibility for us as viewers to relate to them becomes key to total investment in them, and there is no doubts about how well this was accomplished here beginning with Gupta’s role as Iman, a beautiful and passionate young woman whose only hope and desire lies with being able to wed the love of her life. Her commitment and ardor for him is unquestionable, but she then finds herself at the center of an interrogation that is stealing all her joy and replacing it with deep apprehension and total discouragement having to produce some kind of physical proof that her intentions and love for Evan are infallible and authentic. Clinging to the more serene and fulfilling memories of the love she has with him in her mind, she hurls into the void to seek resolution. All across this harrowing and heartwarming series of moments, Gupta utterly excels in every way, making you truly feel each wave of emotion with excellent believability.
Rampini exudes the perfect sense of solidly executed steadfastness paired with the right amount of grounded vulnerability in his role as Evan, the man Preeti met and fell in love with while in film school together. Painting a total portrait of complete affection and tenderness for Iman, the moments he shares with her are consummate and unabridged, doting on her every chance he gets and relishing each moment they share together, a picture of how much he also anticipated their future together. The reactions he has when speaking with her after the interrogation is so achingly poignant and touching, and it puts a much more revealing focus on their relationship and everything that has transpired in it to date in a way that will bring you to tears, though in what ways you will need to watch the film and find out. Either way, Rampini’s performance so flawlessly mirrors Gupta’s, and the chemistry he brings to the screen with her is totally undeniable.
Finally, but no less importantly by any stretch of the imagination is Wilson’s scene chewing role as the immigration officer who interrogates Gupta’s Iman. It’s obvious the officer is a man of all seriousness about his job and what it entails, much less the overall demeanor he must possess to perform it with the level of effectiveness that’s required. Yet, the initially understated then building atmosphere of anxiety and implied guilt he exudes as the questioning becomes more pointed and, at times, entirely inappropriate to Iman, any empathy we might feel towards him flees as quickly as Iman wishes she could. While we know it’s the way things have to be perhaps, the means by which the officer chooses to try and get the answers he needs at least seems a little too intense and intimidating, which calls into question what HIS proof of intentions behind his attitude and actions really is. But, the possible reaction you might have towards him is a compliment and acknowledgement to the accomplished performance Wilson puts forward as the character. Bravo!
In total, “Proof” is indie short film at its high point, not just as entertainment, but more so as a socially relevant statement about the world’s condition in this day and age where so much fear, doubt, and suspicion is having far too much influence and the actual, potent, and transcendent actuality of love is being lost amidst it. Even when there might be truths we hide that can come back around, may we still find the ways to ensure when it comes out that we don’t let it destroy that which we have constructed and cherished between us.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
