NO TRAILER CURRENTLY AVAILABLE
First, the Recap:
An absence of vindication and the persisting weight of animosity towards another. Far too common, or so it assuredly seems, in this world when it comes to the relationships between us simply as one human being to another, it is a facet of life that is often more tangibly pervasive within the context of family. Wronged or slighted, we choose to maintain a grudge and separation rather than face the music and seek what’s most necessary–to offer exoneration and experience the reconnection that should be yearned for. It is not only Christmastime for siblings Alex (Jack McLoughlin), Mark (Shaun Fagan), and Jade (Karly Maguire), but also the eve of a far more saddening upcoming day. Even as Mark and Alex remain numbly calm, Jade arrives to their home with a chip on her shoulder towards Alex, soon manifesting a question of whether past mistakes and the accompanying hurt from it outweighs the deeply important and present need for them all to be ONE thing–unified in their need for solace AND each other.
Next, my Mind:
The volatility of familial tension, ramifications of poor choices, a deep sense of loss, and the desperation for compassion, admission, understanding, and forgiveness all come crashing together with a resoundingly strong emotional power that is both subtle and conspicuous through this 11-minute indie short film from writer/director/editor Thomas Elliott Griffiths, a statement of requisite and compelling necessity that leaves that indelible mark on you as a viewer. While there are always a wealth of projects out there that choose to address common overall topics like this, I as a critic have felt that it is consistently relevant explorations in this vein that ARE required as much as possible in order for us a people to recognize the utter importance of accepting our faults, managing our expectations of others, being willing to bring a calm and logical mindset to confronting existing issues, and watching the strength of the healing that can come from it all.
Here, the narrative puts this challenge to us in the context of an already emotionally-charged and heavy atmosphere experienced by a trio of siblings having to encounter the reality of grief and an obligation they must attend to, much less during a time of year that should be celebratory, while then being forced to confront long-held differences and damaged demeanors towards one of them that threatens to undermine the actual reason they’re having to BE in each other’s presence. Given the scenario being presented, it automatically lends a tangible but initially imperceptible degree of restlessness simmering beneath the surface before things get a bit more quietly but still blatantly uncivil and opinions and resentments boil over. It’s a clear portrait of the inward scarring unvoiced anger and basic avoidance of unresolved issues can elicit, and therefore emphasizes the requirement of addressing said disputes to ideally discover restoration and reconnection.
The additional thematic looks at how defensive we can get when feeling under attack, how we tend to blame and/or accuse others only and don’t always look at how we ourselves might have contributed to a given situation, our coping mechanisms when under high amounts of strain, the promises to change we attempt to hold onto plus possessing a genuine inclination to improve ourselves and have accountability to do it, and the validity of healthy perspectives vs. maintaining or perpetrating discontent hit us firmly throughout the film’s abbreviated runtime, and as mentioned above, get delivered in a slow-burn format that only uncovers what it needs to at the appropriate instances in order to create a palpable magnitude of unease the characters are all showing in equally varying intensities as events unfold. The film’s single setting format and uncomplicated visuals likewise aid here in making us be directly immersed in the circumstances, empathizing with it all effectively and believably, and delivering a finale that is wonderfully evocative.
McLoughlin perfectly presents us with the illustration of a man in turmoil who’s yearning to just BE so much more than he has been through the role of Alex, one of three siblings having to not have the chance to enjoy the Christmas holiday thanks to a loss they are all reeling from and the associated duties they must attend to the next morning. Even as Alex shares a mildly shaky conversation with his brother whose home in which he resides, things get abruptly more agitated upon the arrival of the pair’s somewhat estranged sister, leading to confrontation which will either tear them apart or, in hope, bring them back together. I enjoyed the manner in which McLoughlin employs an adept level of emotively energetic credibility to Alex, allowing for the cautious sympathy we feel for him which then deepens are more and more truths are made known. A solid performance by the actor.
Next, Fagan utilizes a different yet also similar degree of drive and fervor to his role as Mark, the more established and stable of the two brothers whose opened his home for a time to Alex after his wayward decisions impacted his actuality quite negatively. A man of kind-hearted but astutely rigid attitude when it comes to helping Alex during a tumultuous time now compounded by current occurrences, Mark only wishes the best for Alex and to see him get back on his feet. Yet, when their sister arrives, it becomes very apparent that while Mark’s relationship with her is good, her conduct towards Alex isn’t so amicable, and how Mark chooses to deal with it makes for an interesting study in both allowing for certain things to be endured between her and Alex before stepping in and playing peacemaker. Fagan engages you with this performance that certainly plays out with purposefully understated but dynamic vigor.
Finally, Maguire brings on preliminary waves of composed and unwavering charm before adopting a far more fiery stance in the face of contention via her role as Jade, Alex and Mark’s sister who has not exactly been an available presence in their lives but who also wastes no time launching into the reasons why once she starts conversing with Alex, whom she holds quite an amount of rancor towards. Even as she lets all her long-buried displeasure out and then absorbs his first attempts to defend himself much less admit his past misdeeds and offer apologies, Jade shows a resistance to it that makes us wonder if she’s capable to letting go of what’s previously transpired much less having to be real with her own shortcomings in it all. How it plays out is quite potently mercurial, filled with upheaval and doubt but then a softening that befits the developments that happen, and Maguire’s performance oozes superb control and poise while navigating it all.
So, in total, “Tomorrow” is a straightforward exposition of personal storms, release, redemption, and reconciliation that ends up forming a cohesive moral lesson in embracing our human fallibilities, confessing them, expressing a readiness to transform what’s needed, and then accepting that NONE of us are perfect. FORGIVENESS is a concept we’ve lost sight of that we should so profoundly seek out and apply to world, and this film offers a journey towards this aim where it should so often begin–with family.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
