"Day One" is an American 25-minute short film from 2015. It was directed and co-written by Henry Hughes and he scored his first Oscar nomination for that. Actually, it is only his second work and second short film as a director, so quite a success I guess. The film is partially in the English language and also in Dari, so you may want a good set of subtitles. This is the tale of an interpreter who faces the most unusual first day at work in her new profession. The plot already summarizes it. She and her unit of soldiers meet a group of enemies, possibly terrorists. They may have bombs with them. A women of the enemy group is pregnant, on the verge of giving birth. The interpreter has to help her with giving birth. The child is presumed dead. Apparently there is no heartbeat. Then the child is suddenly alive, but another character is suddenly dead. And let us keep in mind: This is only the very first day of her work. So realism is a crucial component or I should maybe say the lack of realism unfortunately and this is what eventually destroys the movie. At some point it felt just like one dramatic scene chasing the next, so it all was very much for the sake of it and the authenticity was kinda gone. Lets be honest here: The action would even be over-the-top for a 90-minute film, let alone for a film under 30 minutes. Overall, I don't think this is a bad film. it has its moments and strengths, like the atmosphere or the contemporary relevance and others, so I am still a bit curious about Hughes' future works. But this one here has weaknesses that should have kept it from getting recognition at any awards body, especially the Oscars. I don't recommend the watch.
Review of Day One
Day One
(I) (2015)
Fails to succeed in one core component and that's the negative deal breaker
20 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers