Leftovers (2024)

Hamish gives off this sad reluctant yearning vibe that’s so palpable, real interesting subtext, however it’s a bit on the nose! Hamish’s clarity and communicative nature creates a power dynamic that feels off kilter and the writer might have foregone some development on specifying each characters’ journey, centring the story on a goal, and defining the focal point of the central dramatic question and the thematic narrative. However, reading into Hamish’s hesitance and London’s naïveté allows for some more complex readings, helpfully aided by some intuitive and clever direction. Discussing points of constructive growth around this student film could be very catalytic to the filmmakers’ understandings of storytelling; these techniques pique my curiousity. The choices, irrespective of intentionality, reveal the story’s most tender beats, and play with emotional energy in increasingly sincere growth. These performances find touching moments of connection as well as the most accessible parts of the dynamic. There’s a pain, longing, desperation, regret, anxiety, that’s easily accessible for some viewings and a bit less palatable for others. Well-educated proficient technical work allowed for payoffs on riskier choices in the scene’s energy.