Winter Lilacs

This is Chet eating a grilled cheese sandwich.

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Great look and great art direction.

Nicely shot, scored and acted.

My one nitpick with the writing was “ma … ma … ma …” just way too many for my ear.

Ultimately I didn’t get it though. She seemed either oblivious to or not to care too much about the fact that he was supposedly dating. So I didn’t see the reason for this rouse. If she was sad or worried about him not finding a girl then it would be sweet. If it was a deception to explain the time he spent setting up her retirement home stay then that might make sense too, but again she didn’t seem to know or care where he went … so why not just set it up then tell her she was going to the circus or the ballet or anywhere. If he was doing it to make her feel good before he sent her away that might make sense too … but again I couldn’t tell that she cared, so it didn’t add up to anything for me and we never saw him follow through on anything. When he pretended to go on a date, I thought maybe he was going to meet with a person at the retirement home to sign some papers … but he just stood on the porch and came back in, again leaving me wondering what the point was to the whole thing. Not saying I have to have an ending wrapped in a neat bow, but with none of the intentions clear I had no idea what you were exploring thematically, or plot wise or anything.

Still it looked amazing and had a great feel and tone to it. While it seems like I have lots of company on my feelings on the look and feel, seems like I m in the minority with my story / motivation issues. Maybe I have watched and commented on too many today :shocked:
 
Jack Daniel Stanley said:
Ultimately I didn’t get it though. She seemed either oblivious to or not to care too much about the fact that he was supposedly dating. So I didn’t see the reason for this rouse. If she was sad or worried about him not finding a girl then it would be sweet. If it was a deception to explain the time he spent setting up her retirement home stay then that might make sense too, but again she didn’t seem to know or care where he went … so why not just set it up then tell her she was going to the circus or the ballet or anywhere. If he was doing it to make her feel good before he sent her away that might make sense too … but again I couldn’t tell that she cared, so it didn’t add up to anything for me and we never saw him follow through on anything. When he pretended to go on a date, I thought maybe he was going to meet with a person at the retirement home to sign some papers … but he just stood on the porch and came back in, again leaving me wondering what the point was to the whole thing. Not saying I have to have an ending wrapped in a neat bow, but with none of the intentions clear I had no idea what you were exploring thematically, or plot wise or anything.
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Hey Jack, did you see the one smile from her, after he told her how the date was? It is at 5.23. I think thats what the whole date-setup is about. He made her smile for 2 seconds and I think it was worth it.
 
Jack -
Agree with you about the "Ma's". I plan on editing around at least a few of them. I wrote the thing and still it bugs the hell out of me.

It's a shame the movie completely alienated you. Can't win 'em all right? But thanks for taking the time to comment and the honest feedback is great.

Cheers!
 
Let me clarify - was not completely alienated at all. It's quite engaging.

It's just that the throughline of action (what people want and why) and whatever you were exploring thematically were just not clear to me. Of course the thematic territory doesn't need to jump out and hit me over the head anyway but without a clear take on either throughline or theme (speaking of just my experience) I felt kind of lost and like I missed out on whatever it was at the core of the material that made you excited enough about the material to want to share it in the first place, i.e., what's really at the heart of the piece. Because the piece is good and interesting, not "getting it" was frustrating.
 
I really think this is just about his unconditional love for his "Ma".
The man helps her bathe for crying out loud. :D

He wants her to think that he has a life and that she isn't holding him back. Even though nothing could be further from the truth.

It's probably not for everyone but I really don't think there is any hidden message. It's definitely an odd relationship, I'll give you that. That's what makes this movie so great though.

Loved it.

Mike
 
Winter Lilacs is one of my favorites in this fest. The awkwardness of the story and characters' actions make it 'honest' and at times brutally honest. I felt like I was reading a well written story, where I had to fill in the blanks and I like that very much. Great job!
 
This film is well crafted and it's strength is that it tells a believable plot that can be easily identifiable and also resonates on different levels. I live on a relatively small island where mothers will hate your girlfriends while you're growing up, then as they grow old they will persist on you going steady with one for the sake of grandchildren and then when they lose it, you'll try to please what's left in them with that idea, while pondering on shoving them off into a home or not. I've dealt with an old people's home in a recent docu and saw first hand how the home arrangement is common even though family ties are strong here. Apart from the many "ma's" this film took me on a trip.
 
Still trying to decide, but this one may be my fav of the fest. Perfectly simple but engaging story, wonderful acting, top notch camerawork. I think it's phenomenally hard to evoke an (earned) emotional response from a short film; this one really got to me.

The ma's didn't bother me, for what it's worth.

Great job.
 
I think there were maybe two ma's too many.

Jack-

To me, the film is about Chet trying to leave a good lasting impression on his mom before he sends her off. He wants her to see him as successful and not have to worry about him once she leaves. As he tells her about his "date," he continues talking about it until he we see that she is happy for him in that smile (as Simon mentioned earlier).

I think the reason she isn't shown happy earlier is because she isn't yet. Chet has yet to succeed at this point. Once he sees that she will be happy without him (or happy enough), he can let her go.

Next scene is of them dancing. They had just eaten a candle-lit dinner of microwavable food and it is probably one of their last nights together. Chet appears to be quite sad that she has to go while she dances oblivious, just happy to be with him. I thought the ending was beautiful.
 
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Hey, loved the flick. Probably one of my favs. Having had a grandfather with alzheimers, I can definitely relate to chet's relationship with his ma. I think it is fairly obvious that she suffers from some form of mental illness. The fact that he stands outside for 30 secs and comes back with a date story clenches this for me.

I found the story sad, touching, and even a bit creepy. Poor Chet. ...wtf is wrong with this world. ...maybe I'm just depressed.

I have no real critiques for your film. So, those are just my two cents on the story.

Great, fantastic and wonderful work.
 
I could have used a couple less "ma"s as well... but I didn't have a problem with it... and it's kind of sad to say, but I totally "got it". This short worked for me on a lot of levels. I think Chet has unresolved issues with his life... you're looking at him as a more stable person then he is... again, raised in a religious household where you honor your parents can create some confusion and insecurities... especially before you add other elements... such as his mother, that he wants to show love and honor... is slipping. That doesn't mean that you wouldn't still grasp at ideas like impressing her... even if it's mostly falling on deaf ears. Have you ever told somebody something that you realized they may not fully appreciate... almost just to hear yourself say it?

I try to bring interesting elements into my elderly parents' lives all the time... and it never works out. They don't see things the way I do, but I still keep trying to bring them some color anyway... even if it's always black and white by the time I leave.

Chet is dealing with his own frustrations while he's running on auto-pilot from his upbringing. I think that gradual loss and confusion is the point... kind of like the Alzheimer's flick from this past year.
 
MattinSTL said:
... Have you ever told somebody something that you realized they may not fully appreciate... almost just to hear yourself say it?
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yeah, so true! i think most advice that is given is much more for the speaker's own behalf than to whomever the advice is being given...
didn't think there were too many ma's. i thought the whole thing worked so well because it screamed real life. in six minutes this film depicted a littany of issues Chet had to deal with. And i feel he was dealing with them most heroically too.

"chet" deserves his own show, if you ask me... he worked because most of us can relate, and in my opinion i wish to act as well as he did too.
 
hoz said:
"chet" deserves his own show, if you ask me...
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Agreed. He was such a well-realized character, both from a script and performance standpoint. I never saw "acting," as it were - just a very real character.
 
Great film. Beatuiful shots and the CC added the extra touch that really sets the tone for Chet's life. Well acted and written. Great execution. Thanks, now I'm feeling melancholy. Great job.
 
I haven't had time to comment on all of the threads but this is one of the last ones I saw and boy I'm glad I did. You got one of my votes. I hope this has been getting the attention it deserves.

This was great. Such awesome quirky characters and a really sweet story. There's no critiques I can make, this was really top notch.

I want to see more from you, man. Congrats on a great short.
 
Holy crap is all I've got to say! I loved this! Nearly everything about it was spot on! Great attention to detail, nothing over acted in my opinion, and had a cool story line/message to it as well.

Two serious thumbs up!
 
Hooray and congrats for the recognition that Winter Lilacs received!!!

I loved this film.

I am so happy that it was recognized by the panel!!!

Congrats!

-Ted
 
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