Part of the skill of filmmaking is the art of taking what you have, no matter how meager or how lavish, and making it work. It’s easy to rip apart a summer blockbuster at times because it has hundreds of millions of dollars behind it. I’d like to suggest this can hinder the creative process because if the director can find a novel shot or solution, they can call in more crew and send the bill to the producers. And when that still doesn’t work, it’s fair game to tear it apart.
A lack of budget should force filmmakers to think outside the box or at least get real about what they can and cannot do. For example, it’s hard to make a believable film about a team of astronauts going to Mars when you have a budget of $100. On the other hand, if you are limited and you want to make a superhero film, focus on the people in it rather than dressing it up with half-ass fancy effects.
Whether the budget’s $100 or $100 million, a film that doesn’t work doesn’t work. I’ve had multiple filmmakers let me know where I can go just because I didn’t dig their work. “But I only had X number of dollars to work with,” they complain. So what? I’ve just seen D.J. Matrundola’s independent Canadian short Estranged and it works. It’s actually really good and it didn’t have any mega-million-dollar cushion.
Chloe (Freya Ravensbergen) has just split from her husband. To kick a horse while it’s down, her mother has just passed away. Her brother Julian (Paul Burke) picks her up and, in true Canadian film fashion, they set out on a road trip together to bury their mother. To make matters that much more interesting Julian brings the daughter of his current girlfriend, Suzy (Eleonore Lamothe), to drop off at her aunt’s. Julian’s girlfriend doesn’t want her and neither does her ex-husband. And just when you think you’ve got all the dysfunction figured out, Chloe’s true feelings for her brother come out.
Estranged is only 20 minutes yet it packs a lot of punch. While it’s hard to ‘like’ any of the characters, there’s never a problem with sympathizing for them and feeling their unique pains. Chloe, Julian and Suzy are always individuals, each with their own journey, each with their own voice. Matrundola weaves each of their stories carefully and is especially cautious about making the film ridiculous or overly melodramatic, which it could have easily become given the combination of its short running time and subject matter.
If I had one quibble about the film, it’s that the score was at times distracting. I recall one scene in particular in which all three characters are squished in the car, engaged in a serious conversation. The dialogue is sharp, but it requires careful attention as the characters are revealing themselves. However the music is a little loud given its tone, which ends up upstaging the dialogue to a certain extent.
Still, Estranged is a film that for the most part accomplishes what it sets out to do. Matrundola appears confident behind the camera and his shot compositions combine both simplicity and creativity.
Estranged Gallery
