WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
How quickly circumstances can change. Best laid plans are unceremoniously broken apart, the timing of which is, as would be expected, never beneficial. So when faced with the choices now placed in front of us, how do we choose to accept the challenges ahead? It is Christmas Eve in the Highlands of Scotland, and for one young man, Rob (Kenny Boyle), it has been less than a perfect day. Having proposed a rather important question to his girlfriend (Nicki MacDonald) which brought about undesired results, he sits alone at the local train depot, simply wanting to go home to Glasgow. Interrupting his pained thoughts, however, is a woman, Jen (Clare Sheerin), who’s had a not-so-great day herself.
Bemoaning the male gender and letting other random thoughts escape out loud, much to Rob’s initial, though quiet annoyance, the two souls find themselves needing to reach the same destination. Once no train arriving is a given, the two embark on an adventure to reach home in time for Christmas Day, and thanks to a minor bit of thievery thanks to Jen, they are on their way. Slowly opening up to each other as they venture into the snow-storm embattled Highlands, encountering more than their fair share of obstacles, the two are ultimately able to settle in at a hotel for the evening. Soon, their newly forming trust with each other opens the door to a deeper connection than either of them would have ever anticipated.
Next, my Mind:
With a wonderfully innocent mix of humor, drama, pathos, and just the right touch of romance, director/co-writer/co-producer/editor Ryan Hendrick’s 26-minute short film delivers a realistically poignant Christmas-set narrative well worth investing the time to view. Taking themes covering a wide range of concepts from shattered dreams and unforeseen situations to fresh starts, new perspectives, and letting go of bitter resentments to embrace a stranger’s understanding and genuine sentiment, the film carries itself with undistracted focus, adding the excellent visuals of Scotland’s Highland region thanks to some well-chosen settings and accompanying cinematography. Include the perfectly orchestrated, emotive soundtrack, and it’s the total package for the viewer.
Boyle and Sheerin give fantastic, perfectly executed performances as Rob and Jen, two complete strangers who encounter each other, journey together to reach home, and along the way discover mutually shared sympathy for their respective, yet similar, plights. The initial awkwardness of their first meeting, continued frustration on Rob’s part combined with the (mostly) practical solutions Jen comes up with to get them on the road home, followed by the playful banter, blossoming infatuation, and truly heartfelt moments experienced later on, all come together with such amazing poise and ease thanks to Boyle and Sheerin’s honest and sincere delivery of the characters. This simply makes for very engaging, emotional involvement for us as the viewer.
Some solid supporting roles are provided by MacDonald as Rob’s girlfriend, David Newman as the hotel’s quirky, perplexed night manager, the film’s director Hendrick as Jen’s former love, and the film’s co-writer Clare Sheppard as his new flame. In total, “Perfect Strangers” presents a picture of human connection, illustrating that even if such people don’t stay in our lives, perhaps they were only meant to for that one stretch of time, around long enough to make life better, make us smile, and help us move forward. Here, in doing so, we share the beauty of former roads left behind, especially painful ones, to come across new bonds of friendship, new affections, and the renewed possibilities of a brighter future in the snowy, windswept hills of Scotland.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
