[yasr_overall_rating]
The past catches up with everyone.
“Alone Together” is a short, 8 minute movie that by the time it is over, you wish it had been longer. That’s the great thing about short films though, they can invoke so much in such a condensed period of time that when done properly, they can leave you wanting more. As the story begins, we get various shots of Henry (Louis Mandylor) in his house getting ready to go somewhere. He brushes his teeth, eats some breakfast, pours alcohol into his morning coffee so wherever he is going, it is obviously going to be tough. He stops in the living room and stares at something that initially we are not made aware of but when we are, we know exactly just how painful his day is going to be.
A blue urn sits on the mantlepiece, decorative flowers adorning it. He stares at it, obviously not wanting to follow through with what he must do next and picks up a photo of a gorgeous, smiling woman lying against it. He musters up the courage and is on the road but along the way, he stops outside a suburban house. He sits and waits and shortly thereafter, a young pretty blonde woman leaves the house and sees him. They stare at each other momentarily before he drives away. She tries to approach him but he is gone. Eventually, he arrives at the beach and makes his way down to the strand. He takes off his shoes and wades out into the water where he proceeds to release the ashes into the ocean.
The blonde woman has followed him and watches from a distance, sadness in her eyes. She quickly leaves just as he makes his way back. When he comes home, he enters a room where he places the empty vase on a stand with the deceased woman’s photo behind it where a big, discerning smile makes its way across his face and we then realize exactly who he is and what he has done. The twist at the end was ingenious and very reminiscent of the twists Hitchcock would add to his masterpieces. There is absolutely no dialogue in the movie and both Brooke Newton (“All My Children”) and especially Louis Mandylor (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”), do terrific work and bring sentiment and conviction to their roles. Director Blake West has created an effective and suspenseful movie that one day, might get the feature film treatment. Recommended.
Premieres August 15th at the HollyShorts Film Festival in Hollywood
