Film Info:Having to face the death of their father, Eddie and Sally try to do their best at understanding the concept of death...

Written By: David BertranDirected By: David BertranGenre: Drama10 Minutes COMING TO TERMS ( 2015 )

  No matter how you slice it, death plays a massive part in our lives. Our own impending doom, although a dreaded thought in our minds, can be tolerated simply because it's easy to cope with a "future" inevitability. Akin to knowing how much more we'll pay for something, as long as the current payments are low. The death of a loved one however, is another story altogether. Aside from the fact that person is gone, it's an instant reminder that our own future, no matter how far off we think it should be... may be closer than we realize. But what about kids? We all know they think a little differently than we do. How do they deal? Enter "Coming To Terms", a visually beautiful short film that hides it's dark nature with outstanding visual appeal. Packed into a tiny ten minutes is some powerful stuff ladies and gents, I promise that much. For an independent short without a major studio budget, David Bertran delivers not only a solid story, but ensures it looks great as well. Featuring an ending that may not be what we all hope for, it's a powerful reminder that real life can be messy, and that showcasing it as a fiction can evoke real emotion from the viewer.

The technical aspects of this short film require very little discussion. Production and post-production are all seemingly top notch. I can't stress enough that for an indie film, " Coming To Terms" looks splendid. Easily, even the harshest of viewers will find very little to nit-pick from the visuals. Attention was also paid to the audio and lighting, bringing home the full package and making this short film feel much bigger. The edit was kept clean and to the point, driving

the narrative forward without any fancy fast cutting. As I wrote above, the perceived production value is huge, showcasing some real talent behind the lens. The cast themselves perform admirably, especially the children. I will admit that some of the dialog felt slightly dramatized, mainly during a scene where a coming death is explained to children. However, I will also admit that I've never been put into a similar situation. I have no point of reference, and may someday find myself having a conversation with a child, that ends up sounding much the same. How would you explain death to a kid? Softly and over the top? Or, like life itself, harsh and unforgiving? Not something I would look forward to and a conversation for the director and actor to decide themselves, when portraying the character. Aside from my own confusion over the presentation of one scene, everything else is top notch and completely believable. Handshakes must be given to whoever cast these wonderful actors. Again, especially the children. Kids and film are hit and miss at the best of times. I've seen the stresses of keeping "the giggles" at bay. Excellent job all around. David Bertran presents a dramatic yet sad fiction that plays it's cards in a real non-fiction sort of way. Maybe that's the power that kept me watching. Production values alone don't make a good film, but when they are presented alongside a good story, a reaction takes place that just elevates the production exponentially. "Coming To Terms" is just what the title says it is, although the particular way these "terms" are came by may leave you unsettled at the end. Just like in real life, things don't always happen like you think. Usually, the complete opposite. I, myself was completely entertained for ten or so minutes, and that my friends is what it's all about. Nicely done or gritty as hell, if an indie film, or any film for that matter, manages to hold my attention fully until the credits rolls... that makes it a darn fine production in my books. Hats off cast and crew. Nice work.

-JT

‘Coming to terms’ short film review analysis In this review the plot outline of the review is positioned in the left hand side of the review in the top corner, this is effective as this is where the reader will first start. This plot outline is very simple and effective as it describes the short film in one sentence and gets straight to the point. The review includes one image which is positioned at the top, next to the plot outline, this is effective as it helps the reader to understand and visualise the film better. For example in the plot outline the two protagonists of the film (Eddie and Sally) are introduced to the reader and in the image two characters are included, this instantly implies that the two seen in the image are Eddie and Sally. By positioning the image at the top it instantly creates impressions of what the short film will include. The image consists of dark and dull colour which implies that the narrative of the film will be emotional. Underneath the image is the rating given by the writer, 4.5/5, this rating is effective because its visually attractive, it includes red stars on a black background, this makes the rating stand out. The high rating portrays the short film as successful, meaning that the reader will be more likely to watch the film as they know that it is worth watching.

The first sentence of the review sets the scene of the review, it’s a short simple sentence that instantly grabs the reader’s attention. ‘No matter how you slice it, death plays a massive part in our lives.’ The second part of this sentence is effective because death is an event that everyone will be able to relate to, and it isn’t an easy thing to deal with and therefore this may intrigue to the reader to watch the film to see how other people deal with it. The title ‘Coming to terms’ is explained here as it suggests to the reader that the narrative includes them coming to the realisation of the death of their father. By revealing to the reader that the narrative of this film is based on death, it is effective and successful because it’s a thing that the majority of the readers will be able to relate to.

As the review continues, the writer uses rhetorical questions such as ‘But what about kids? We all know they think a little differently than we do. How do they deal?’ Including rhetorical questions is effective as it engages the reader as it approaches them making them feel involved. Making the reader feel included is particularly important in this review as death is such an emotional event that can hit people really hard and therefore by making them feel involved it makes them feel comforted. This is again done further into the review where the writer approaches the reader with ‘ladies and gents’, again this makes them feel comforted and it shows that the target group for this film is both male and female, it also shows that even though it may be typically stereotypical to think that men deal with death easier than women, this isn’t the case.

The writer of the review then goes on to praise the director, ‘David Bertran delivers not only a solid story, but ensures it looks great as well.’ This portrays the film as successful which will encourage the reader to watch the film. However, shortly after this the review then goes onto say ‘Featuring an ending that may not be what we all hope for, it's a powerful reminder that real life can be messy, and that showcasing it as a fiction can evoke real emotion from the viewer.’ This shows that the ending to the film isn’t a happy ending and is emotional, this may have the influence on the reader not to watch the film, especially if they have previously had the difficulty of dealing with a death. They may not be able to cope with this film. This could be seen as portraying the film negatively as it implies that the director and writer if the film haven’t been sympathetic to their audience and haven’t carefully thought about their narrative and the effect that it could have on their audience.

The film is then portrayed as successful and professional as ‘production and post-production are all seemingly top notch’, it is then described as ‘splendid’. This portrays the film in a positive way to the reader which will encourage them to watch the film. The review doesn’t only praise the director of the film but also gives credit to what are seen as the smaller roles of those who cast the role, they are praised for their excellent casting and the actors themselves are also praised. Overall, the film is described as ‘Excellent job all around’. The ending of the review ends on a high with ‘Nicely done or gritty as hell, if an indie film, or any film for that matter, manages to hold my attention fully until the credits rolls... that makes it a darn fine production in my books. Hats off cast and crew. Nice work.’ Ending the review on a positive is effective as it is more than likely the last thing that the reader will read and will stay in their mind. The writer describes it as a ‘darn fine production in my books’ this is effective as it implies that they recommend it to the reader. It also creates the impression that they aren’t easily impressed with short films, however with this film they are and would defiantly recommend it. The review ends with a very short sentence of ‘Nice work.’ This is a short and simple sentence that praises the film for all its work.