WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
A state of lingering shock, apprehension, doubts, and the yearning for anything that might alleviate those elements enough to push forward day by day. Nothing can immediately assuage the suddenness of an unforeseen loss, more so when it was a parent gone far too soon. To make the choice to try and press on is already a hardship, but how we choose to silence internal turmoil from it can be either a balm–or an additional burden to release. A young man named David (Taylor Jorgensen) has opted to handle the death of his father Jake (Jeff Vernon) with an almost deceptive calm, burying himself in a mediocre job to aid his now-single mother Sarah (Juli Cuccia) with a ever-growing pile of unpaid bills.
The only initial source of any “joy” David finds is through his best friend Claude (Bear Badeaux), a highly carefree soul who actually seems to prefer getting the pair into minor amounts of trouble rather than truly being a positive influence on David. Despite the warnings and admonishing from his mother, his Aunt Diana (Kate Kelly), and his personal therapist Dr. Koss (Jeffery Patterson), who all believe David’s only real chance to heal the inner afflictions he battles is to cut loose from Claude’s sway, David refuses to acknowledge that course of action and keeps grasping onto Claude’s presence tenaciously. However, as more time passes, David finally begins to realize the need to heed their counsel. The only question remains–can he find the strength to do it?
Next, my Mind:
Straightforward, accessible, and executed with a beautifully impactful potency that addresses a myriad of themes including grief, depression, the crippling effects of unvoiced anger, hopelessness, stress on relationships, coping mechanisms, and facing hard realities while likewise focusing on the even greater need for understanding, tough love, reconciliation, healthy mourning, and the ability to discover the ways to truly let go and continue life, this affecting 24-minute indie short film from director/producer Chris Frint, writer Jake Reardon, and producer Ben Brouillette carries its emotional weight and overall message about mental health awareness on its sleeve with excellent, character-driven, dramatic poise.
This critic will freely admit a total appreciation and ongoing love for the indie film community’s willingness to tackle narratives that address mental health and, I hope, become more consistent beacons to bring to the light the deeply needed recognition of how much we as a society should be more proactive to bring about aid, treatment, and acceptance for those who suffer from traumas and other circumstances that have brought about such fractured states of being and see them get the help they deserve, as we should really not ever allow ourselves to grow tired of being reminded about the genuine need for compassion and desire to be a part of solutions rather than just letting the “oh, that subject again” attitudes dominate our thinking to the point of apathy and indifference.
Here, the story gets delivered and a completely grounded, believable way so that relating to it overall is not an issue. Rather, I feel it totally draws you into the tale of this young man reeling from the unanticipated passing of his beloved father and how he’s chosen to deal with it, or perhaps not deal with, and how it so dramatically impacts every relationship in his life with the exception of the friendship with Claude, which is revealed over time to not be the best thing for him at all, leading up to a fantastically delivered reveal and even more stirring finale that very much puts an unflinching exclamation point on the events depicted and makes the points the film strives for get driven home with challenging, hopeful, and undeniable truths about ensuring mental health is not treated lightly or go unnoticed and untreated.
Jorgenson presents a perfectly balanced performance and reality-infused character in playing David, a man who we can clearly see has intelligence, drive, and a bright future that has been overtly derailed by the unexpected death of his father. Upended and distraught, his ability to delve into the pain within has also be depleted, putting on a barely-there façade of “moving on” while ultimately trying to help his mother out with the family’s accumulating debt and emotional turbulence. Having only Claude to hang out with, David clearly leans heavily on his friend to have any semblance of existence, yet it’s equally evident Claude’s influence is toxic. Upon finally being willing to realize this, David starts a new journey to separate himself from someone he’s known his whole life, which proves a far more hurtful process than he expects. Yet, watching him come out the other side and how he opens up to what steps come next is as heartfelt as it is heartbreaking, and Jorgenson enacts all of this with a fervent, sometimes intentionally understated, fire that befits the character so well.
Badeaux likewise brings a playful, purposefully over-the-top, yet strongly controlled, impassioned performance to his role as Claude, David’s best friend since childhood who doesn’t take too long to illustrate just how ornery and non trouble-free he is, exuding that “rebellious teenager” style, mischievous demeanor that David seems annoyed by so many times, yet goes along with in the end solely because of the bond they’ve shared. Claude does make it clear he wants David to be able to lighten up and have some fun, basically trying to be a distraction from allowing the hollowness and hurt to dominate David’s days, usually with success but, as time moves on, having less and less impact until a critical decision David makes that shatters the long-lived fellowship they’ve had, even to a point of a potentially permanent break. Unwilling to just “go away”, Claude makes all efforts to remain a part of David’s life, but how it will all turn out, as just mentioned above, comes into question with Badeaux’s performance making you fully feel every single iota of both warm and intense sentiment.
Primary supporting turns are here from Cuccia as David’s wholly hurting yet stalwart mother Sarah, a woman bent on not letting her son just fade into lasting depression, willing to chastise him for his unhealthy reliance on Claude while demonstrating the beauty of a mother’s love for her child, Kelly as David’s aunt Diana, who shares the same mentality as Sarah when it comes to David’s need to let go and pursue forward momentum, and Patterson as Dr. Koss, the therapist David has been visiting since the loss and who seems most likely the one who first, and adamantly with care, has pushed for David to acknowledge his pain and separate from Claude. Additional appearances are here from Vernon as David’s father Jake, whom we see in a powerful flashback sequence that puts many elements of the film’s narrative into deeper perspective, and Mackenzie Rayne as Jenny, a local waitress David encounters.
In total, with its wonderfully smooth visual presentation, solid acting, and hugely relevant messages, “Claude” stands as quite an example of the growing prowess and talent found in the indie ranks while also delivering the necessary concept, at least for this critic, that it should be one of those films people see which places in our minds the notions that with God, unfettered love and empathy, we can see this world come to a place it so desperately needs to–one of the openness to put aside hate and misunderstanding and find healing together.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
