It is rare that we are given a truly restrained struggle with grief in film. It is all too often presented as an outburst and then sanguine resolution that satisfies our discomfort with the subject. But grief is not like that. Grief is too immense to conclude in a film, the range of emotions overwhelmed by loss too unpredictable, and the storage of memory too vast to simply empty with immediacy and without consequence. In the short film Left Alone, the title gives definition to the condition of those who survive beyond their loved ones. It paints loss in a family as an incurable thing, boiling with human need for compassion and, for things no fault their own, forgiveness. Through one man, Ian, played wonderfully well by Paul Noble, we witness a father, who is no longer a father, given no privacy to confront the unimaginable. He is at work, exposed, and slowly coming apart. He does not know how to express his loss, does not know how to accept his survival, or how to ask for comfort. He does not know if there can be consolation but he is desperate to confess his sorrow, to connect with anyone alive with him. Through a succession of encounters, he tells different people about the death of his son, hoping, perhaps, that he will find understanding. We are forced to experience the tension of his struggle and the film is both a literal and figurative journey from its start to end. Well performed by a solid cast, well shot by Peter Biagi, resonantly scored and carefully cut by writer/director Seth Boggess, this is the kind of film you have to go to independent film festivals to see, and are damn glad you did. I was lucky enough to see it play at the 2011 Beaufort International Film Festival and if you can see it in a theater, it's worth the ticket. It is a meditation about living after death. Based on the story Misery, this modern adaptation would make Chekhov proud. This film is in every way an artist's early opus and Seth Boggess has delivered an impressive work here.
4 Reviews
Amazing, thought provoking film...
cmwarloe1 March 2011
I had the privilege of seeing this film at Beaufort International Film Festival in South Carolina (the world premier). It had me in tears (a tall order for a 15 minute film!) and the audience was clearly as touched as I
it truly was an amazing film with a theme everyone can relate to...looking for someone to listen, grief and loss. The quality is top notch from all perspectives. The actors are incredibly talented. The music moved the story along brilliantly. It was a simple, thought provoking film with a poignant reminder for all of us
it makes you stop and think about the times in your life when you could have made a difference in someone else's life by simply listening. I will definitely be following this film through the festival circuit!
Exceptional ... Very Well Done!
madavis315 March 2011
"Do you have children?" How do you answer that question when you've lost your child...no one is prepared for the grief-stricken answer to a question they think is casual conversation. "Man, pay attention to the road, I'm in a hurry!" How do you care that someone else's life is swiftly moving forward when your life has come to an abrupt halt after losing a child...
As a woman that has experienced such sorrow, this movie immediately catches your heart and acknowledges all the emotions grief leaves in its wake. The piece is also superbly balanced to relate to even those individuals that have yet to experience the emotion. Grief is universal and this movie beautifully illustrates such a sorrowful topic. It's amazing what meaning is delivered in such a short film. Masterfully written, directed, filmed and set to music. A must see!
As a woman that has experienced such sorrow, this movie immediately catches your heart and acknowledges all the emotions grief leaves in its wake. The piece is also superbly balanced to relate to even those individuals that have yet to experience the emotion. Grief is universal and this movie beautifully illustrates such a sorrowful topic. It's amazing what meaning is delivered in such a short film. Masterfully written, directed, filmed and set to music. A must see!
Heartbreaking
balladhunter28 February 2011
Who'd have thought that a 15-minute film could be so moving? This movie hooks you in so quickly, my wife and I could hardly believe it was over, with us both sitting there thunderstruck. I'm only sorry it's still running its festival course, because we've talked about it to friends so much that they keep asking where they can see it!
From the unsettling opening credits, where the cabbie's face keeps coming in and out of focus in this surreal way, to the final desperate moment against that wall, the emotional journey of this lone, lonely man is so ... familiar, so identifiable, so universal that it speaks volumes about grief and finding one's way through. I know that when my sister passed, my life must've been a similar, seemingly irrecoverable mess.
Can't wait to see what this creative team does next!
From the unsettling opening credits, where the cabbie's face keeps coming in and out of focus in this surreal way, to the final desperate moment against that wall, the emotional journey of this lone, lonely man is so ... familiar, so identifiable, so universal that it speaks volumes about grief and finding one's way through. I know that when my sister passed, my life must've been a similar, seemingly irrecoverable mess.
Can't wait to see what this creative team does next!
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