Although it’s extremely short, Lovers Jump manages to be perfectly creepy. – Will
Peter, devastated by the death of his mother, stands on a bridge ready to jump. When his aunt comes to stop him he reveals his dark secret to her.
Directed by – Mark McCombe
Written by – Jenny Wong
Starring – Laurence Fuller, Holly Clark
Another great short film was passed along to me by director Mark McCombe and even though the entire short, including credits, only runs about 5 minutes, it was still one of the better films I’ve seen this year. Yesterday I watched a short that I think would have played out better as a feature. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Lovers Jump. I can see how the story could be built into a full length film but I think the real impact would be lost if extended past its running time here. Sometimes the best package is a small one.
Peter waits alone on a bridge when he has trouble dealing with his mother's death.
You probably couldn’t make a more simple film but the idea is much bigger than you would imagine. What may seem simple at first is actually quite intricate and instead of slapping you in the head with a giant twist at the end we’re given only the most subtle of suggestions. The credits roll as you let the ideas sink in and the lightbulb goes off over your head. You’re then given a nice parting shot that solidifies the idea of the short but still doesn’t offer everything up on a silver platter.
Praise goes to all involved in Lovers Jump for not resorting to spelling it out for everyone. It shows the impact that one small moment can have, twisting everything you thought was true into something totally different. Really there isn’t a lot to review technically. The performances are well done but only last a few minutes and the entire short is basically one shot of two people on a bridge. It’s the dialogue and subtle body language that gives the short its depth though. If you can’t manage to pay attention for the two minutes of talking then you’re going to miss something important. Of course if you can’t pay attention for two minutes then watching movies probably isn’t your thing.
Peter's aunt tries to talk him out of doing anything drastic.
Plenty of filmmakers and scriptwriters could learn something from Mark McCombe and Jenny Wong. They treat their viewers like intelligent people and don’t try to over-explain anything to us. I just wish that some of the big names out there could treat us like we have a brain instead of assuming we’re all 5-year-old children. Really, when I’m not interested in thinking about a film I stick to action flicks. Hopefully I’ll get to see some future work from McCombe and Wong. Together they’ve crafted 5 minutes that tops a lot of the 90 minute features I’ve had to sit through.
Under the marquee – Will
It’s kind of a shame that (because of theater schedules) films have to be a certain length… as often this forces the film to expand or contract unnaturally… with some films really being ideal as only a few minutes, or others being ideal as several hours.
Luckily, filmmakers can opt to make a ‘short film’… but, of course, that kind of adds complications when one then has to factor in the reality of theater screenings and DVDs.
A perfect example of how ‘business’ inevitably interferes with ‘art’.
This kind of indirectly reminded me of a film I saw in highschool (or earlier?) that I was wondering if you ever saw… ‘An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge’.
If you haven’t, check out the link below (but try your best not to read anything about it, as it’s best not to know anything going in). It won awards at the Canne film festival, and was even shown on the Twilight Zone (as you’ll see by the clip).
http://www.viddler.com/explore/nzgmediefag/videos/12/
I think the business is more willing to put a lengthy film out there but I think they should be dropping short films at the start of movies. I’d rather watch a terrible short film than 15 minutes of commercials for Rogers, Windows and random car companies!
That Owl Creek sounds familiar. Did they happen to remake a version of that for Masters of Horror because I swear there was an episode titled The Occurrence at something something??? I’ll have to give it a watch and then a review!
Ya, short films at the start of features would be cool… but, it’s all about money. The $15 or so they charge you is STILL not enough for them, so they have to cram 1/2 hour of commercials down your throat as thanks for your patronage.
The Owl Creek film is just a distant memory of mine that was suddenly resurfaced with the sight of that bridge photo in your review. Not saying it’s a great film (or necessarily even GOOD!)… just that it is a film that some people may also remember in their past, much like other short films they may have seen in highschool or something. Worth a watch, again, just ‘to have seen it’.