I chose to watch both “Embrace” and “Bridge” by Hillman Curtis. I’m not entirely sure why I chose those two but I am quite pleased with what I watched. Both short films take very simple situations of interpersonal experience, strip them of some of their contextual aspects, and give observers a quick look into the way people interact.
“Embrace” is a short film that centers around a man and a woman, who obviously have a very loving relationship, and their reactions to a looming event that has them both quite shaken. They seek safety in each other and each other’s arms specifically. They maintain their embrace for the entirety of the film. The way that Curtis shows their embrace over and over again without being repetitious is by showing it from various angles and at different levels of closeup. Curtis highlights shots of hands, which often signify embrace, as well uses the camera to place the two people at the forefront, blurring all else in the room. Once they find some comfort, sounds of fire truck alarms is heard in the background, which upon my viewing is an indicator of their fear soon coming into fruition.
“Bridge” is much more lighthearted. It shows a man and a woman, seemingly friends, who take part in a relationship exercise typically reserved for couples. It is through their participation in this activity together that they realize something stronger may exist between the two of them than they originally thought. The camera circles around them in many parts as they sit on the floor. Very rarely are the two not in a frame together. The imagery shines a lot of light on the possibility of their romantic desire for one another without explicitly showing it until the very end when they nearly kiss.
Both are very well done and well thought out short films. The way they are filmed can take much of the credit for their strength. In fact, I’m quite envious of Curtis’ abilities and hope that in my own growth, I, too, can tell such stories of interaction in a way that can be impacting within only a few short minutes.