WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
There is the indomitable devotedness, under normal circumstances at least, between a mother and child, what should be a lasting magnitude of connection and love any parent would be more than happy to see maintained as such, unbroken by even the most stressful of life’s situations. Yet, when this attachment begins the way it should but is then suddenly and inexplicably shattered without immediately evident cause, how destructive and disheartening does it truly become for someone whose unconditional love has now been unceremoniously supplanted? Nina (Theresa Godly) longs for her son Ezrah (Leon Ung) to return from a time away with his father Mark (Christian Greenway). But, when the homecoming turns out to be anything but what she’s been anticipating, the subsequent fallout will propel Nina to explore a new avenue of help in order to face an often encountered, and sorrowfully unheralded, reality.
Next, my Mind:
The ones who perpetrate gravely deceptive attitudes within/towards others harshly, intentionally, and truthfully crashes headlong into a highly stirring portrait centered on the ones who represent the initially-unaware-of-then-blatantly-victimized people on the receiving end of it all through this unexpectedly eye-opening, emotionally volatile, deeply revealing, but VERY purposefully awareness-raising 13-minute indie short film that arrives courtesy of writer/director/producer Theresa Godly, executive producers Christopher North, James A. Hirons, Natasha K. Clarke, Rhiannon Lee Huntley, Barbara Anna Marion, Maarten Morren, and Hillsborough Survivor Support plus associate producer Peter Romov. There continues to be no other way around the fact that there are individuals out there that seem concentrated on making other’s lives miserable, and this film chooses to do what an effort of this nature needs to accomplish–EXPOSE them while being a catalyst for what is even MORE necessary here–CHANGE and SUPPORT.
Through its foundational narrative that tackles a present issue which isn’t actually well-known at all yet has been going on for FAR too long all over the world, parental alienation, we follow a mother yearning to see her beloved son again after he’s been away who subsequently returns home from his time with his father possessing abiding HATE for her, the brevity of the film’s runtime intelligently, astutely, and with absolutely unquestionable resolve puts forth a candidly affecting picture of this circumstance with all-out engaging potency, drawing you in while being deftly unapologetic in its intent to showcase just how overtly damaging this psychological abuse is on not only the mistreated parent, but on the very soul of the child themselves. This critic was not remotely cognizant that this mentally harrowing and downright awful form of child abuse existed, much less apparently to the extent and longevity it has and still does, and therefore I give infinite amounts of props to Godly and Co. for being willing to take this head on, reveal it, and create such a stridently ringing battle cry to war against it that WE (unfortunately!!) NEED.
The welfare of BOTH the impacted parent and the child (or forbid multiple children) in a family is explored here, mind you, and experiencing the film FROM both perspectives with the additional treatment/attention given to the abusing parent as well all morphs into the weight of the persuasive statements this project exudes from its core. The blatant shift in attitudes of the primary characters is what provides the narrative with its forceful and evocative punch, and by the series of moments that occur when a mother’s unconditional love not only gets dismissed, but wholeheartedly and unceremoniously REJECTED, carries a magnitude of utter heartbreak, disbelief, and shock yet also births a simmering anger towards the situation that allows the film’s finale to have its intended and intense reverberations while likewise at least showing us there ARE places the afflicted parent CAN turn to for help and, one hopes, healing. It doesn’t at ALL alleviate the actual PAIN of separation that’s occurring, but at least it is one important oasis of support that is requisite to the events they’re confronting.
Supplementarily, the film’s post-finale credits are an even deeper reminder of the scope of effect parental alienation has had on the real lives pictured, and this only serves to drive the film’s points home to where it IS burned within your conscious, where frankly, they SHOULD. ACTION, folks. If you KNOW of someone facing it, don’t be a stranger, don’t just sit on the sidelines and think they’ll “just get better”. As with any form of abuse (physical, mental, emotional, etc), someone doesn’t “just get over it” and MUST know the’ve got people who actually CARE to be there or to at least be GUIDED TO that care. We’ve all known people who struggle, and so again, even if it isn’t the particular plight illustrated so proficiently in this film, be willing to BE THERE for someone. Godly steps out from behind the camera to be in front of it here as well, doing so with a grounded credibility and influential prowess that undeniably SELLS YOU on the character and her dilemma via the lead role of Nina, a mother longing for the return of the son she dotes upon and misses since he’s been away for several weeks with his father.
Finally arriving to “The Day Of”, and with the preparations to celebrate in order, her first encounter with Ezrah manifests in the LAST possible way she anticipates, with their ensuing interactions filled with everything BUT joy. When adding to this an equally heated conversation with the boy’s father, it only opens up the wounds on an escalating scale. How Nina will end up coping with this remains open but with at least SOME sense of positive certainty, and watching the sheer vulnerability and stirring emotional fluctuations that Godly leads her character through is such a testament to the actress’ genuine commitment and conviction for this performance and the significance of the subject matter portrayed. Primary supporting roles arrive first through Ung as Nina’s loving-but-now-wayward son Ezrah, who upon coming home from time with his father now harbors nothing but biting, unforgiving spite towards her now, an evident turning instigated by his father for whatever reasons. Even as she fights for him, Ezrah’s poisoned mentality carries forward, now attached to his father and effectively disowning Nina.
It’s a performance that is somewhat understated, but in absolutely apropos fashion, as it becomes as much about what Ezrah openly states as it does what he DOESN’T say, the evidence of a broken state of being becoming conspicuous as events unfold, though whether its sudden regret or simply shell-shock remains open here, with Ung beautifully embodying his character’s own state of instability and fractured psyche to a “T”. Greenway is Mark, Ezrah’s father and the one who has the had the brutally detrimental control over his own son’s mindset about his mother, doing so with a degree of coldhearted callousness that makes the character one you will TRULY love to hate, which of course is a tribute to Greenway’s acting in imbuing the character with such disdainful indifference towards Nina and, whether he would admit it or not, Ezrah. The only other credited supporting turn comes from Laurence James-Davis as Greg, a package delivery driver that Nina knows from his previous visits to her residence.
So, in total, “The Stranger I Love” makes its mark with unequivocally indelible keenness of purpose, superbly executed writing and directing, and acutely unwavering dedication to make the issue of parental alienation no longer some dark thing lurking in the shadows, but rather shining a definitively revealing light on it that the greater world will now be made, again ideally, more perceptive of it, more proactive in challenging it, and Lord willing victorious in STOPPING it for the sake of reuniting and reconciling those parents and their children whom never should have had to face this kind of violation in relationship at all. Be a part of helping to FIX the world with sincere faith and love, not break it down further.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
