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First, the Recap:
You know what you did. You have intimate knowledge of a situation that has nothing but unfavorable and distressing implications. And yet, you make every attempt to carry on, despite the overwhelming sense of guilt and fear that has accompanied this one harsh decision. How do you ultimately react? How do you truly move on? How is it that every possible way conceived to try and find justification for your actions comes up short? It is a dilemma no one wants to face, and yet for one certain man (Rob Ramsay), it becomes the entire nature of his existence one fateful day while driving home, thanks to a lethal combination of a distracted attention span and an innocent (Lydia Zimmer).
Hit and run. When the initial shock of the incident first wears off, the man makes his attempt to face the state of affairs he suddenly finds himself in. However, once the actual weight of what has occurred takes hold, a moment of choosing comes about that will define the rest of his day. Driving away, the overwhelming sense and thoughts of utter despair hit first, welling up in waves, causing him to take in a rooftop respite. Then the next phase of panic sets in. Desperate to deal with the event in the ways he sees as most conducive to the option picked, the man tried his best to take what he thinks are the appropriate actions. But how do you reconcile or vindicate grief or an errant conscious?
Next, my Mind:
The first narrative-based, though dialogue-free, short film effort from Halifax, Nova Scotia-based director Jon Mann, this 11-minute tale packs one whopper of an emotional punch in a very short timespan, which is what occurs when films within the genre are done right. And that is exactly what Mann and lead actor/co-writer Ramsay have accomplished with “Rearview”. Filmed in a polished, yet rough, gritty, and realistic-looking format, it allows the main character to be prominently center stage, and the viewer is taken along the absolutely harrowing emotional rollercoaster ride that he is going through when his decision, albeit a seriously bad one, is presented and the rest of the story unfolds. And it is an ugly, painful reality he confronts.
The main actor, Robert Ramsay, delivers a solid performance as the man, whose entire world is shattered in an instant and the jolt in his mind as to what to do next in the blameworthy state he’s in rushes to meet him. Ramsay takes the viewer through each potent emotion that the man is facing and does it in believable fashion, in a very human way, that can make one at first feel sorry for him, but then begin to question his motives for making the commitment, even in his fear-filled confusion and panic, to the resolution he elects. In summary, “Rearview” is a sobering, haunting, gut-wrenching, in-your-face narrative on the weight of conscious and the ramifications of choice. Period.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, spread the word, and thank you for reading!
