WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Love’s flame flickers at first meeting, then blossoms into fullness, but can then burn with regrets and pain if scorned or trampled upon. Even after time goes forward, life moves on, and healing begins to occur, it only takes one moment of recollection to cause the entire wave of emotion to hit again. In a local bar, a woman (Dominique LaFleur) contemplates a winter romance that went as such.
After a heartbreaking split, seeing her ex-lover (Moises Bournigal) again after a time has dredged up all the turmoil and hurt that accompanied their breakup. As she recalls the better times leading up to that moment, seeing him with another woman (J.D. Achille) only adds to the misery. But as a musician (Aaron Wilson) plays on, the pent up sadness and anger builds towards an inevitable confrontation and a wounding truth revealed.
Next, my Mind:
Continuing to follow her established preference of narratives involving love’s difficulties and setbacks through the combination of music and dialogue, Massachusetts-based indie short film writer/director/editor Raeshelle Cooke presents 5+ minutes of building tension that can only lead one place. Filmed in the present and via required flashbacks, it becomes a whirlwind ride through love’s beginning, middle, and end for each character in their own ways, and this in itself lends a slightly different twist to events.
As with prior efforts, the music here actually becomes a character, initially guiding us through the story while LeFleur’s lead character randomly adds voiced thoughts. Additionally, LeFleur portrays the woman’s calmly simmering rage adequately well, keeping things tense. Wilson’s only-an-observer musicians adds background ambiance to the barroom as Bournigal’s ex-lover and Achille’s enigmatic woman prepare for the coming storm, attitudes and all.
Overall, “Sometime Around January” can find more than find its audience amongst any who have suffered the indignity of a harsh, heart-wrenching breakup and who know the sting of seeing a former love again when time had almost healed the anguish.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
This is awesome, thank you for this review.