WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Mothers. Aren’t they the best? If we’re really analyzing a family’s parental structure, it usually seems to come down to the Mom who handles the trials and triumphs of a child’s being most astutely. Both weathering and dishing out more than a fair amount of necessary advice, admonishment, and imperturbability, she is ultimately the rock a child will cling to. Yet, she is not perfect. When decisions are made that suddenly upend the peace, will she choose the correct path to set it right?
It is a time for getting away, and one mother named Mia (Alma Pöysti) seems more than ready for it. While waiting to board the ferry to their time off, Mia contends with her young son Edvin (Enar Malbert) and a request he refuses to leave her alone about. Once on board, it becomes more apparent where Mia’s attention actually lies, and the instances that follow will unrelentingly dictate who, and what, she should have commitment to first.
Next, my Mind:
Observation, realization, doting but suddenly wavering dedication, and the reassessment of what life’s direction should be as it applies to those beyond ourselves and our own selfish ambitions become the primary amalgamation of thematic gists delivered through the 15-minute Oscar qualifying short film from writer/director Malin Ingrid Johansson and producers Andrea Gyllenskiöld, Adam Holmström, and Joel Rostmark. Composed of dramatically evocative purpose and even a certain modicum of mildly edgy comedic elements, this raw look at the dynamics of parenthood, moving forward, and accountability to responsibility starts in low gear, a slow burn, but then very intentionally ramps up with unabashed urgency when more and more facets of a mother’s past choices and now current ones all become clearer.
Hence this narrative which sees a woman in a state of initially undisclosed, inconspicuous crisis as she’s taking some time away with her young son whose insistence on a specific want has her flustered even while really being focused on something else, the nature of the pacing here is highly effective in seeming so inane on the surface until the grander foundational essence of the story manifest. When they do, it releases an entirely different atmosphere of tension and volatility into the air, especially as the viewer, and for this critic, the moment things begin to come about, it emphatically begins to play your heartstrings in a very distinct manner, eliciting a mix of emotions and opinions about the characters involved. Again, the mother is really a catalyst for the majority of what’s transpiring, with everyone else getting sucked into her personal agendas and, frankly, faults. However, it IS this that allows the film to deliver its requisite weight of message.
With these core concepts underway, the film also addresses other thematic ideas along the way which are built on top of the main ones. The unquestionable love and bond of a mother to her child, the innocence of expectation a child possesses when promises have been made, the associated stubbornness they exhibit when the answer sought has not actually been gained fully or at all, the damage of broken relationships and family, the impact of which is becoming more and more evident, the danger of literally losing sight of one’s child, the acknowledgement of the value of a child’s needs when it means helping them cope and/or heal from pain and non-understanding of a situation, and the basic awareness needed to see one’s own ambitions and whether it is beneficial or harmful to pursue are all given exposure to some extent here, and to very well-executed effect, most assuredly in how the film’s SO totally apropos finale arrives with resounding, evocative substance.
As sometimes this critic finds it vital to do, this broader portrait about the film and its intent truly is, I feel, fundamentally needed as well, for it is SEEING the film and then being privy to the events that transform the narrative which is paramount to me, and also to avoid those nasty little things called spoilers! It is what it is, folks. Poysti engenders both sympathy and aversion towards her character as this film progresses, which of course is a testament to the actress’ skills brought to bear, through her performance as Mia, a young mother just looking, supposedly, to enjoy a little vacation time with her son. While both waiting for the ferry and then once on board, all her son wants is to know when a promise will be fulfilled, but upon noticing that Mia is ultimately honing in on something totally askew from his needs, the tense air of hurt comes about, forcing Mia to come to terms with her decisions and what she SHOULD be seeing as most important.
It’s that wonderful blending of muted and impassioned emotional potency that Poysti brings to the character, and it serves the events well, while admittedly discovering a level of humor in how everything wraps up, the actress literally wearing a well-suited expression of utter frustration we HOPE is tempered with new understanding on the part of Mia’s character and her path. Just a great performance all-around. Malbert wholly embodies the archetype of a child being a child, but through the most humorous and dramatic means via his turn as Edvin, Mia’s son who has more than several opportunities to remind his slowly-losing-patience Mom of what she had pledged to him that has not come to pass as of yet. As Edvin begins to come to his own conclusions (rightly so!) about the REAL nature of this vacation she has them on, he acts out as one might expect, and whether it leads to the answers he’s wanting as well as a return to any sense of joy is the enigma.
Watching the young actor navigate through this kind of purposefully quiet but still deeply moving sea of emotion as seen through a child’s eyes is always impressive to me, and I give full credit to Malbert for so adeptly taking on the role with the fervor he did and the consequent credibility he exuded through his performance. Supporting turns arrive from Rasmus Lindgren (voice only), Krister Kern, Edward Floden, Frans Lanner Collijn, Lisa Lanner Collijn, Anna Svensson Vedadi, Astrid Assefa, and Anna Svensson Vedadi. Names of characters and any details remain veiled for the protection of the NO SPOILER zone this review resides within, but again, I give full measure of recognition to each and every one of these actors for their performances as well. NO small parts, as they say.
So, in total, “Deck 5B” is a solidly rendered short film tackling the ever-fluctuating circumstances, subtleties, interactions, choices, and their ripple effects as applied to motherhood, the relationship with a child, and weighing what’s more critical between self and their needs in order to form a better life ahead that will ideally favor both in a healthy way.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
