Sky’s The Limit – A Short Film Review
Getting over the death of a loved one is not an easy task and everybody seems to deal with grief in different ways. Sky’s The Limit focuses on Jason and his son, Frankie, who are both dealing with grief, one for the loss of a wife and the other for the loss of a mother. The short film feels short although gives us a pleasing very into the bond between father and son.
Jason has lost his wife and is exploring the world of online dating trying to find a new love and neglecting his son Frankie who is desperate for some attention from his dad. After Jason loses his babysitter Jason and Frankie get to spend some time together in the ‘Sky Kingdom’ but Jason does not widh to enter the world of make believe with his son. Jason takes his son with him on his date the two are forced to spend time together and reconnect at the expense of the date, Kaitlin, who clearly does not want to spend time with Frankie.
Directed and written by April Schroer the story is simple but quite effective. April touches on subjects including being a single parent, bereavement and re-connection; quite some going for am film that is only seven minutes long. The subject matters are handled very carefully and subtly which gives you a slight warmth at the end of the movie. April handles this all very well and has got me wondering what she could do with a meatier story and a longer run-time.
Timothy J. Cox plays Jason, the single father on the hunt for love. Cox does a fine job creating a bond with Frankie and displays his emotions very effectively. It is what the character is doing when he is not talking that makes the performance so effective, his facial expressions and the look of pain and sorrow in his face is more powerful than any words that can be spoken. Joseph Di Stefano does a fantastic job, putting in a performance well beyond his years, and being influential in some scene stealing moments. Joseph looks like he so badly wants to connect with Jason (his father) and the final moments in the theater when the do seem to gain a connection come off very well. Monica Servellon give us a sturdy performance as Kaitlin, Jason’s date for the night, her look in the cinema when Jason tells her his ‘perfect date’ needs to be good with dates is a classic. Finally, I think it is only right that I mention Ryan Moore who seems to be enjoying every minute of being the Sky King. His role in the movie is only very small but it is a memorable one (Ryan also served as assistant director).
Overall this movie is a short but memorable one. It is a simple story that picks up on a number of tricky topics and handles them all well. A satisfying story and a good all-round performance. I think this movie could have been improved upon by making the plot a little meatier and the run-time a little longer, but these are only my own opinions in what is a charming piece of short film.
Watch the movie yourself here.
