Directed by: George Elias Written by: John DiMarco Genre: Drama |
Kevin and Winnie
Kevin and Winnie literally begins at the start of their relationship, and through the course of around 10 minutes, we see their story unfold until the very end. This seems like a pretty tall order for a film so short, but, thankfully, director George Elias smartly directs the cast, and the screenplay itself is both dramatic and well written.
Kevin (Jordan Garcia) seems like a pretty decent guy, and for Winnie (Brenna Daly) the match seems just right. The chemistry shared between the two actors works well, and the connection onscreen shines through. The backstory is told through flashbacks, mainly with the film ending in the near future. We get to hear the hopes and dreams of this couple and follow them through marriage and, finally, a devastating life event. Kevin and Winnie doesn't shy away from the tragedies of life, and it's all handled reasonably well, if not maybe a little quickly. I believe that the "length" of this film may be its biggest setback. There's a lot to unpack, and ten minutes just didn't seem like it was enough time. It's not often I write that I believe a title should have been longer, but in this case, I certainly do. Another 10 minutes or so even. I found that there simply wasn't enough time to fully explore the different aspects of the character's relationship. In the first six or seven minutes, we are learning of their past, and in the final three or so minutes, we deal with the tragedy. It all comes so fast, and because of that, the individual elements are barely explored. Kevin and Winnie, for me, didn't quite know what it wanted to be. A love story, as described. Or an emotional drama leading into the concept of grief and loss. With so little length, this title felt like it was struggling to cram a feature-length film into a ten-minute window. With all that said, I must confess that I really enjoyed this short ride. There's some excellent acting, especially for a micro-budget title. There are some good visuals that really help convey the story being told and aside from Kevin and Winnie not feeling long enough; it was a pretty good short film overall. Writing that a movie is too short could be considered a compliment... and it is. But it's also the Achilles' heel. Three stars. |
