The Farewell - Benjamin Eck & Andrew Brinkhaus

Thanks Brandon!

At this point the biggest struggle is making sure people see it. I'm sure that only a few people are watching all the entries.
 
That was slightly predictable for me and a little more action would have made it a much better short for me. The performances were dead bang on and the lighting was intoxicating. Over all good job.
 
Very good performances here. Simple story yet very effective.
Shot very nicely as well. I think I missed the watch/clock shot?

The mood you created was very captivating.

Now, if everyone who made a movie took the time to comment nobody would feel left out.

Cheers,

Mike
 
This was a descent film, if somewhat overwrought. It might have helped to know more about what set everything in motion. Not knowing made it hard for me to sympathize with either character. The pacing in the middle seemed to drag a bit and toward the end, I was hoping she'd shoot herself, too...and sure enough. A good old fashion tragedy.

I thought you did a good job on the lighting. It fit the piece and mood. It was shot well, but in the end I just wasn't given enough information to care about these two people.
 
I have to agree with Blaine's comments...I needed to know more about what set this off (and it would have to be BIG for such emotions).

FYI... I'm watching them all and leaving comments (although some movies don't have a thread for comments? Come on people!)

Very good effort.
 
I also wanted to care about these two. I felt there was not enought old to us or shown to us to help us understand. The acting was GREAT though. Congrats on making this film. It was a great tragedy that just needed a bit more character development in my opinion.
 
I had a hard time with this one, having had to 'clean these up'. That shows the realism of the film. I hate suicide, it is such a waste. You evoked feeling in me. Nice.

If the couple had such a depth of feeling that they agreed the other was everything, wouldn't that commonality and deep emotion have pulled them together or at least caused one of them to tell someone of the other's plans? (See, I am still trying to save them!)

You did a good job on the theatrical realism of the suicides, but the gases actually blow the whole top of the heads clear off, doing more damage than the bullet exit wound by a huge amount. You couldn't have known that.

Well done! :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
I adore this one. I forgot to breathe during I watched the film. The actors convinced me completely. Fantastic work. Thank you so much for done it and a big compliment!

Susanne
 
Very emotional and moving piece. Gorgeous cinematography. The color on this added to the mood nicely. Great work by all involved! :)
 
Hmm, am I the only one that was confused by this? She's in the room, talking to him. Then she picks up a camera and plays it back, during which we're shown another camera that is recording? Then she sees on the tape him committing suicide, after which he's dead in the room with her. What am I missing that this makes no sense to me?

Regardless, your lead actress's performance is very convincing. Err, not that I would know from firsthand experience or anything!! Technical aspects are all sound. You should export a cropped rather than letter-boxed final version -- I'm watching these fullscreen on a widescreen monitor, so I had the sides of my screen letterboxed since it was exported as a 4x3 composition.

Well done, I just wish I knew what I'm missing.
 
I'm confused like Duff.

But great lighting, sound, and performances.

I agree with Justin that the gun shouldn't have worked. Or she decided not to do it. I just hate watching someone slowly pull a gun to their head and pull the trigger. I've already seen Romeo and Juliet.

Liked seeing the scene of them having fun in the park. Reminded me of Cloverfield, which I love. Maybe something else on the tape could reveal some more of the backstory.

Loved the frame for the story of the candle being lit, and then blown out by the wind at the end.

How did you do the lighting?

This was a very clean, technically flawless production. Congrats!
 
STORY SPOILER

Hey guys, the way that time is related here is that in the beginning it seems they are in the room together, having a conversation. However, if you listen closely, you notice that neither of their questions are ever answered. They are only asking the questions, or stating facts. This is because once she picks up the camera and sees the contents of the tape, it is apparent that they were never in the room at the same time. She then realizes he has done the same thing she was about to do, all along she has been talking to a camera of her own! But where did he go? When she reveals his body under the sheet where he fell, she cannot take the pain and executes the old Romeo & Juliet ending.
 
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Heavy going, but beautifully made. Great cinematography and very convincing acting - so much so that I had a hard time watching it a second time. I'm glad I did though because I picked up more than I did the first time round which, however, only served to confuse me. There's obviously a whole time warp thing going on when she sees him shoot himself in the videocamera and then there he is lying dead beside her. Intriguing. I really liked the tracking shot which moved behind something when she shot herself.
Cheers
Jason
 
Right, I understood it about the cameras.

I was impressed with this. I would like to see a larger res version after the fest maybe. I thought the lighting was really well done but think the compression takes a little away. Let me know if you can give out a larger version later.

The actors were really fantastic, I thought. How did you cast them?

I didn't really connect with the story. Which is not to say it was not good, but it's nearly impossible for me to imagine killing myself over a woman. I know that sounds harsh, but that whole notion just doesn't connect with me.

I'm not even sure how much that actually happens. I mean, I'm sure it does, but I have known three people now who have committed suicide, and in retrospect the reasons seemed long simmering, and vaster than something like this. I get the romeo and juliet bit, but I dunno. Maybe I am full of it on this. One guy we think had to do with his wife, but more in that he had left her for some bartender and then later realized how much he ****ed his whole life up in that. But even still, that is purely speculation on our part.

I am rambling now. But I guess that is good. It got me thinking.

I guess the only critique I would offer of the story, was that the beginning seemed long to me. At about 2 min, I felt like things were on the verge of self-indulgence with the actors, through no fault of their own, but because they didn't seem to have anything to do and we weren't being given any new information. So there reached a point in there where it nothing was really happening.

I liked the reveal with the camera, showing that he was in fact pre-recorded. That was handled very very nicely.

But I guess I was spacially confused, because how could she not have seen that body before? I mean when she came into the room?
 
Good story.. ( a little confusing but I went along with it) Great acting by both characters.. Great cinematography.. Fav shot would be the track left as she shoots herself.. but overall, all your shots had consistency in solid comp, lighting and motivation. Nice work, Andrew. Definitely one of the best I've seen so far in the fest.
 
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