NO TRAILER CURRENTLY AVAILABLE
First, the Recap:
The unimaginable. Never do we desire (at least, I would certainly HOPE not) to find ourselves in a situation involving that which we could have not pictured occurring to us, or for that matter to anyone else we are tied to. It is already difficult enough to hear about and/or watch the news showcasing the atrocities in so many forms that are unfolding or have come about in our world, as the impact they cause and the atmosphere of fear they engender is paramount to never feeling the one thing we crave, perhaps more than we acknowledge at times–SAFE. Jules (Gabriella Kessler) is a college student away at school, having a normal day, until an unexpected phone call from her 8-year old younger brother Chris (Raphael Sommer) shakes her reality to the core, with an outcome that isn’t only undetermined, but potentially devastating.
Next, my Mind:
One need not search any further (at least for the moment, anyway) than this 7-minute indie short film project from writer/director/editor Arlo Grey Gordon to get, at MINIMUM, an inkling of the smartly artistic, creatively boundless, often consistently original, and frankly potentially RISKY approaches independent filmmakers take when presenting their concepts to us as viewers via the finished effort we end up ideally having the opportunity to witness. Adept masters of presenting scenarios in general we may have seen any myriad of times before but then utilizing the aforementioned inventiveness to send things in a direction most, if any, would never see coming, this community of artisans continues to remind this critic of precisely WHY I remain SO overtly GLAD that it IS the grander body of the cinematic arena I have ended up supporting so ardently for the last 8 of 9 years covering films here.
What remains the beauty of it all is what gets conveyed in uncomplicated visual presentation only amplifies the character and narrative facets of the film, and there is no exception found through this abbreviated offering that sees a young college student ending up on the last call she would ever wish to experience as it is, much less that it is tied directly to her since it is her little brother whose on the other end of the line. From the moment this exchange begins, it is a quickly executed but still initially slow-burn path the story takes before immediately accelerating events into hyper-drive and eliciting an air of building emotional tension that you could cut with a knife. What makes it so effective is, unfortunately, the innate relevancy of the circumstances being portrayed that in broad terms mirror recent instances over the last many years in this country, and it hits home with the force of a sledgehammer to envision someone GETTING a call like the one here.
But, that’s the thing with indie cinema. It is THE platform, in this critic’s opinion, to GET necessary messages out to us, never allowing us to forget or just take for granted situations like this of such needless acts of violence, against ANYONE, and it has always been my hope efforts like this would be seen by as MANY people as possible to ensure we do NOT dismiss the cautionary and pertinent nature of thematic explorations such as what is depicted in this project. Of course, as should be the case with any film that draws you in and captivates your attention with the kind of momentum this one does, it still remains that the finale must carry that requisite punch to ensure the narrative’s message(s) are firmly solidified in your conscious even beyond the closing credits. Here, to say the least, that is accomplished to quite the jarring magnitude, and it left me both shaken AND stirred–though not exclusively in the manner I anticipated! No denying–it’s a kicker, folks. Just be prepared.
Kessler exhibits that ever-present trait I personally feel is so key when it comes to indie film’s emphasis, yes ON character and narrative development, but also more so on the BEARING and delivery of it more times than I could count–the employment of UNDERSTATEMENT first that then leads to room for the given character to expand and pull you in, which I felt the actress accomplished quite wonderfully through her role as Jules, the young woman who receives the call she’ll wish she never had to encounter. Suddenly immersed in an escalating state of affairs that she clearly has an overwhelming sense of helplessness in, Jules does her level best to remain in ANY semblance of “calm” trying to assist her beloved sibling through what could only be described as a complete nightmare for ANYBODY to go through. But, as things at least seem to be “settling” in as much as is even feasible, happenings take a turn, and Jules is left even more powerless than before.
What the conclusion of it all will actually be becomes the question, and Kessler does an excellent job at getting us into the midst of her character’s incident, first through subtlety then all-out but not melodramatic fervency which I believe was perfectly credible in its execution. Plus, how Kessler navigates the film’s uniquely written finale is worth the watch in itself. Sommer, while “appearing” in voice-only form, honestly does a fantastic job acting verbally with astute and genuine emotive control via his role here as Chris, Jules’ 8-year old brother whose phone call to her on this particular day, while unexpected, ISN’T in the way he was wanting it to BE thanks to the utterly harrowing instance he finds himself in at his elementary school. Panicked and just wanting OUT, he only has his big sister’s voice and guidance to aid him in trying to get through it all, even in spite of both his (understandable!!) abject terror and uncertainty–but then also heartening degree of compassion and desire to ensure others are also good to go.
How Sommers brings across this tumultuous storm of complete trepidation but through the manner in which a KID would communicate it all is sincere and totally believable thanks to Sommer’s talent to NOT overact it, but keep it grounded and apropos for the narrative’s designs and objectives with his character. Additional supporting appearances are made both on and off screen by Sesana Allen and Josh Davis. So, in total, “Stall” is a beautifully written, intelligently directed, straightforward yet unequivocally surprising short film that not only brings to mind those senseless acts of terror we must now be so much more aware of thanks to this fractured time we’re living in currently, but also that things are not always necessarily what they seem and outcomes may not be the disaster we think they are. Kindness exists…even IN this circumstance presented. If anything, please remember at least ONE thing about all that you see here–this is only a test.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
