Short Film Review “With Arms Raised” A car ride, conversation, what we’ve experienced, personal judgements, and what we resort to is explored with both enigmatic then striking impact
“And I think to myself….what a wonderful world”. Louis Armstrong sang about this notion via his classic 1967 song, an ode to witnessing elements of our life that should be but some reminders of exactly what that concluding line of each verse indicates. Now we see our contemporary realities and, just being honest, it makes a sentiment like this seem SO overtly far away….perhaps even impossible….to accept or believe could be. It sounds harsh, but again, so much of what is occurring speaks not to beauty, but bedlam.
“And I think to myself….what a wonderful world”. Louis Armstrong sang about this notion via his classic 1967 song, an ode to witnessing elements of our life that should be but some reminders of exactly what that concluding line of each verse indicates. Now we see our contemporary realities and, just being honest, it makes a sentiment like this seem SO overtly far away….perhaps even impossible….to accept or believe could be. It sounds harsh, but again, so much of what is occurring speaks not to beauty, but bedlam.
It is just another typical ride share pick up on just another typical day for a driver (Jonathen Wallace) and now for his current fare, the new passenger (Andrew Garrett) in the back seat. As the journey to the passenger’s destination commences, it begins innocently enough with random chit chat. However, as the ride goes further on, talk turns to some mild then increasingly heated venting of political and societal frustrations by the passenger, building to a point of no return….and to an ending one of them never saw coming.
Idle talk, pent up resentments boiling over, shared trauma, necessary but volatile subjects, and jilted perspectives on the entirety of everything happening within what seems to be a crumbling sense of safety, knowing what’s true and what’s not, and the ability to simply LIVE without having concerns for the future all take center stage via this ten and a half minute short film from writer/director/producer Jon Cvack and producer Brittany White. A blunt force, high impact, jarringly effective glimpse into the state of our polarized union, this effort forms the kind of awareness -raising notice and actuality that, whether we like it or not, NEEDS to be addressed, a reminder of just how fractured we are as a nation AND as the world at large, and the deepest requisite desperation to see genuine solutions come about that can help us heal, re-unify, and discover the means again for us to treat each other as human beings again.
Unflinching in this very purpose, the narrative follows what should be the most overall mundane of circumstances…a ride share and the subsequent conversations being had between driver and his passenger…that take a sudden and tense upsurge in fervency when certain topics arise that are conspicuously agitating, primarily with the passenger, could be leading to something even more ominous. The ambiance that is created here is masterfully executed, feeding into precisely what is indicated in that aforementioned synopses above, with the combination of consistently character-centric camera focus, varying imagery associated with it that provides context both blatant and veiled, the black and white palette as opposed to color adds another layer to the film’s aesthetic and tonal directions, and just the intelligently written dialogue between the two men that skillfully guides you through this friendly then uneasy atmosphere.
Thematically here, it is adeptly prolific throughout the film’s course that current events formulate the gist of it all, venturing into evocative (and, frankly, provocative) realms with touches on everything from homelessness, sanctuary cities, personal and national trauma, the sheer magnitude of division and divisiveness between people racially and politically, the blatant absence of kindness and compassion, total loss of belief and faith in government leadership, and sinking into a state of “what can you do??”-infused hopelessness all play a part. Yes, it IS quite demoralizing when it comes down to it, and to say the least, the film’s finale will just flat out shock you, even IF you feel you already glean SOMETHING fearful and unsettling is potentially coming your way while viewing. Folks, the saddest fact is that this film is a relevant, authentic, no-holds-barred portrait of America right now. Therefore, what are we going to do to CHANGE it for the BETTER???
