Published in: Short Film Reviews

Short Film Review “Return To The Garden”

Author OneFilmFan

Published on: March 5, 2016

WATCH THE FILM HERE

First, the Recap:

The bonds that make us human. Within this experience we call life, the ability to encounter two of its most treasured, yet often elusive and abused gifts–love and relationship–has been granted to us.  What we choose to do with this when conflict arises remains the critical decision. For one Man (Isaiah Stratton) and Woman (Allee-Sutton Hethcoat), the beauty of their love is fresh, vibrant, filled with joy, and alive with the newness of learning about one another while taking in the natural world around them. Soon, adding to this elation, is the anticipation of the next chapter about to unfold in their journey together.

However, when a painful and unexpected occurrence suddenly derails their happiness, the real test of their love begins. For her, it is a desperate time of needing his comfort, to talk things out, to know that she is still loved, and not seen as being at fault. Yet, for him, it is trying to cope through work, through avoidance, and through projecting a sense of apathy in not wanting to face the situation. After so long, it begins to take its toll on her, causing potentially devastating choices to be made. But, even after realizing what is happening, both of them need an awakening in order to come back to the place in heart, mind, and soul they need to be.

Next, my Mind:

Boldly illustrating concepts of love, inner turmoil, being human, realizing mistakes, and discovering the ultimate redemption through faith in God, writer D. Erik Parks’ 14+ minute short film, co-directed and co-produced with Jake Hutchison, potently takes the viewer through an emotionally-charged narrative while smartly weaving the story of Eden into its execution. Seeing the parallels drawn between the two tales is clever, and not done in any form that should be seen as preachy or high-handed. In fact, had the story of Eden been excluded here, the film might not have had the overall impact that it does. Gorgeous and smoothly rendered cinematography paired with a beautifully delivered acoustic guitar-driven musical score only serves to enhance the experience even more.

The modern day Adam and Eve of this project were played effortlessly and with real conviction by lead actors Stratton and Hethcoat. Stratton’s “man’s man” is brought to life with that sense of honor, faith, devotion to his heart and wife, and that pillar of support and strength needed in a relationship. Likewise, Hethcoat’s carefree, equally loving and devoted, strong yet vulnerable woman captures the essence of beauty and completes the couple perfectly. A very savvy supporting turn by Wynn Reichert as the Priest, whose counsel and interspersed presence in the film sharing the Genesis 2 & 3-based  Garden of Eden story very much adds the underlying punch as hinted above. Additional support from Antonio Scott, Brandy Norris, Hayes Dillard, and even Parks himself rounds out this solid cast.

In total, “Return To The Garden” is a fantastically done indie film that is able to relay its faith-based message in a method that so deftly shows there is imperfection in us that requires something beyond ourselves to fix. Therefore, the film is free to show that there are trials that come, choices to be made, forgiveness to extend, true love in need of embracing, and Eden’s innocence to return to.

As always, this is all for your consideration and comment.  Until next time, thank you for reading!