WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
How do we delineate our own character, that which causes us to be who we are, what makes us whole, the unique individual we are? While we could spend a lifetime attempting to ascertain this, the circumstances we find ourselves involved in can usually reveal at least SOME of our makeup, the uncovering of our being. But, in doing so, it can likewise usher forth disclosing those things that challenge us, or that we seriously struggle with overcoming. THIS then turns into a journey that can be difficult to see past or get beyond. A young man named Henry (Calvin Waldau) finds himself in a constant inner war with social anxiety. This particular night at a party with best friend Ryan (Juan Rodriguez Leon) and several others, his apprehensions are peaking until a chance run-in with the past via a girl named Natalie (Skye Marie Sena) sets the evening on a decidedly unforeseen path.
Next, my Mind:
The awkwardness of youth, the burden of a disquieted frame of mind, the facades we wear, the need for release we so often fight against rather than embrace, and the opening up of perspectives that can change and shape our life’s road in unanticipated ways all become foundational thematic forays being explored through this 45-minute indie short film from writer/director/producer/cinematographer/editor Pat Mitchell, producer Ashley LaRue, and associate producer Edmonde Mitchell. Given the contemporary times in which we’re residing in, replete with ALL forms of mental health issues, it remains at the forefront of absolute necessity for these afflictions to be addressed and worked through, and it makes the film timely, relevant, needed, and ideally another project that causes awareness of it all to be raised to higher degrees. I feel this is especially important when it comes to our youth and acknowledging that the crippling impact social angst can have on them is paramount to disaster if not handled with consistently genuine care and concern.
Here, we’re delivered a portrait of this through the eyes of one young man’s internal unease and the catalyst that shakes him out of it, or at least makes him confront it, and this is executed through the context of what could have been a prototypical scenario of teenage/young adult irresponsibility, drinking, and casual flings. But, instead, the film actually manages to AVOID falling into this cliché, rather utilizing SOME of said elements yet effectively and meaningfully wrapping it inside a grander picture of being yourself, letting go of what’s no longer truly important, making choices, encountering our pasts, considering the future, adjusting our priorities, breaking out of others’ preconceived expectations for us, assessing what our passions are NOW as opposed to what might have once been in focus but now maturing, the downsides of popularity and its associated perceptions, and how we look at others, plus adapting to those means that allow us to conquer or cope with our own restlessness, the film’s title playing into that last facet quite adeptly.
Hence, this is to say that the film efficiently and intelligently elevates itself into a very serious character study and exposé on gaining freedom in heart, mind, and soul that we might not have believed would be the direction the narrative would take, and the uncomplicated manner in which we DO get all of that content above provides the film with the all-important magnitude of relatability and compelling truths that should resonate with us as the viewer on a multitude of levels, regardless of age. We are still entertained, there is a mix of drama, romance, and humor presented throughout the film’s runtime, but it ultimately leads us to a finale that reverberates in its positive messages of realizing just how imperfect we are, but that it doesn’t mean we’re permanently broken or that there’s something “wrong” with us, much less that we’re beyond repair. It very astutely illustrates the HOPE that’s required, and the cathartic influence someone else who ends up sincerely THERE for us can have, even when facing our faults and disappointments in each other. It’s being HUMAN, folks, and that is precisely what’s at this film’s core, as with so many indie film offerings.
Waldau takes a potentially “ordinary” character and turns him into a force of engaging affability, stirring restiveness, and well-grounded, convincing vulnerability via the role of Henry, a young man suffering acute social anxiety whose attendance at a best friend’s party is initially causing his condition to reach uncomfortable heights, having to recite a chosen mantra to calm his nerves. As the evening progresses, however, an unforeseen interaction with someone he hasn’t seen since childhood sparks conversation, reconnection, and the opportunity to perhaps see his recurring apprehensions get a much-needed respite, all while immersed in an equally surprising, wholly adventurous night. It’s an exercise in simplicity at its heart, but how Waldau navigates the character through the events depicted with such ease and wholehearted credibility is what sells us on Henry’s plight, and it’s one more of those quietly intense performances WHILE remaining realistic that this critic feels does such beautiful credit to the actor’s talent.
In a similar fashion for me, Sena delivers a charmingly affecting but also strongly serious and smartly dramatic performance through her role as Natalie, whose attendance at the party ends up becoming a focal point for Henry after his running into her there, which in turn brings up a shared past and the unfolding dialogue that will carry them into a night to remember. HOW exactly everything will end up overall is what is in question, and I adore Sena’s ability to bring the extent of both innocently alluring charisma paired with a passionate fervency and energy befitting the character so well here given the situation at hand that the narrative is expounding on. Primary supporting roles arrive first through Leon as Henry’s best friend Ryan, the organizer of the night’s party and definitely an individual who doesn’t necessarily abstain from bending or breaking the rules to have some good old fashioned youthful fun, which of course sends Henry’s trepidations through the roof. But, in spite of it, Ryan attempts to put his friend at ease.
Valeria Di Babbo enters the picture as a close friend of Ryan’s, Rebecca. Matthew Campbell plays a source of contention for Natalie and Henry’s night that could also form a key moment for their night. Jim Barbour is Mason, a resident of the neighborhood Henry and Natalie are meandering through who might also be another prime factor in the pair’s interplay. Additional appearances are made by Zachary Covell, Drake Alexander Kuhn, Alice Lewis, Frantz Mitchell, Pat Mitchell, Alena Stevenson, and Sar Sutcliffe. So, in total, “Apples, Oranges, Lemons, & Limes” combines purposeful understatement and youth-driven narrative structure with fully poignant messages applicable for everyone, doing so in a manner that reminds us that we ALL have our uncertainties, inwardly and outwardly, but that there ARE ways OUT, and that sometimes, the solutions can come from the most unexpected places and people, leading us to a formidable yet fulfilling journey to freedom we might have thought forever elusive.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
