draft 2 of review

1. SHORT FILMSREVIEW
First Impressions
Director: Amber O’Dell
Certificate: 12A
Short Film, Dark Rom Com
Sibling rivalry: Charlotte High, Beth Izatt
Reviewed by David McKnight
Teenage years can be turbulent times filled with new
experiences, interesting people and a sense of discov-
ery when a young person comes to find who they are
as an adult. ‘First Impressions’ captures this unique
time perfectly, relying on the premise of a 17-year-
old girl experiencing a first date which is tarnished by
a series of evening-ruining events, mainly caused by
her obnoxious older sister. Director O’Dell conducts
an outstanding character study, exploring the highs
and lows of young love. The struggles and obstacles
of adolescent love and growing up seem to be a sub-
ject that O’Dell not only frequently explores, but she
has often proved that she can present a uniquely su-
perlative perception of the conventional narrative of
woefully love-struck young people. The theme of a
budding, new relationship is juxtaposed by the dam-
aged relationship of the sisters.
O’Dell’s decision to use inexperienced actors in the
film link back to her roots in social realism and prove
that she is onto a winner with her formula for cine-
matic success. The natural, unpolished performances
provide an entirely realistic set of characters and
narrative which is expertly achieved through the di-
rector’s impeccable choreography and pacing. Similar
to Katie Jarvis in Fish Tank, Beth Izatt’s portrayal of
the sister brings a fresh energy to the film. She is
portrayed to an extent as a sort of antagonist to our
main character, she somehow manages to be a char-
acter that can either be completely disliked or ad-
mired and identifiable for the audience. She tends to
be the catalyst for the element of dark comedy in the
film. Her character is well drawn but is ultimately a
narrative device and her purpose is to create havoc
and destroy the evening– and in effect the blossoming
relationship.
The protagonist (Charlotte High) gives a perfor-
mance that is both honest and emotional throughout.
Giving full credit to High’s naturalistic portrayal, the
audience can find it easy to relate, she plays the char-
acter as timidly docile but brings out her feisty side at
times when needs be. The combination of Izatt and
High bring out a better side to each other, so to
speak, in their interactions we can see an obvious
contrast between their different personalities. Moving
on to the date himself, a similarly aged, almost com-
pletely silent character, his role in the film is less
meaningful and more demonstrative. In accordance
to the symmetry of the film, along with the older
sister, he is also a device, produced in order to de-
velop the story of the main character in greater
depth, therefore by providing the protagonist with an
incredibly dissatisfying experience in order to pre-
pare her for her destined fortune with the plumber.
There is an underlying feeling of sexual tension be-
tween the two teenagers, reminiscent of films such as
This is England. The limited amount of time we see
the couple alone together in a close proximity shine
with promise and anticipation of a romantic spark,
however when the sister enters the scene, we see
that this relationship is doomed to crash and burn
before it has even begun.
SYNOPSIS
A house shared by two sisters. One who has taken on the role of housekeeper
and carer for the two and an older sister who provides little more than a few
spiteful remarks. The sisters share an awkward moment in the kitchen. Later
that evening, the boy arrives for the date. They are interrupted by the older
sister. The sister’s presence continues to grow more of a burden and she
makes the couple very uncomfortable. The animosity between the sisters
soon becomes very clear and the girl requests to speak to her sister for a mo-
ment in private. Away from the boy, the girl confronts her sister, accusing her
of trying to sabotage the date. A plumber is soon added to on to the already
disastrous evening. He is here to fix the leaky sink. The younger sister soon
begins to confront the older girl which sparks an argument and ends with the
girl slapping her sister. The plumber quickly enlists the girl to help him repair
the sink which presents a welcome distraction. They share a tender moment.
When the sink is fixed, the plumber tells the girl that there is still time to sal-
vage the evening. He leaves and the girl follows him. Just before she walks out
the door, she tells the sister and boy she is leaving and returns to book to the
boy. The boy and sister are left awkwardly in the wake of the evening and the
boy offers his book of poetry to the sister.
CREDIT
Directed by:
Amber O’Dell
Written by:
Amber O’Dell
Produced by:
Varshini Yogaeswaran
Assistant director:
Christina Gadsby
Director of Photography:
Aimee Lee
Sound:
Kasharna Williams
Editor:
Megan Windmill
Costume Design:
Grace Johannsson
Cinematography:
Chloe Rigby
Production Design:
Christopher Risk
© Rankin Productions, LLC
Production Companies:
A Rankin Production
in association with Sunset
Studios
CAST
Charlotte High
Girl
Beth Izatt
Sister
Aiden Dearlove
Date
James Homan Crust
Plumber
Distributor:
LGV Fil s
The modernistic style that can be seen in aspects such as the mise en scene, location and rela-
tionships of the film are reminiscent of her directorial debut ‘Off her head’. In contrast to most
short films, O’Dell tends to favour medium shots, rather than the conventional close and wide
shots. These medium shots are perfect in showcasing the group dynamic that serves as the
foundation of the film. Some beautifully framed shots can be seen through the film. The bright
and ‘squeaky clean’ aesthetic qualities of the film exist in a contrasted state, some scenes are
incredibly vivid and warm in terms of colour and other scenes feel somewhat monochrome
with cool undertones. Again, this is closely linked to the style of O’Dell’s first cinematic en-
deavour in which the tone of the film changes from a monochrome hue to bright, lucid colour.
A bold stylistic choice of the film which could have been a potential hazard; however, it has
been skilfully and carefully navigated by O’Dell in her pursuit for aesthetic excellence. The
sense of awkward comfort is unmistakeably encoded in the intricate selection of colour and
lighting. For example, the lighting and tone during the date scene communicates the mood of
awkwardness and the general feeling that something isn’t quite right within the combination of
these particular characters in the scene. The film’s themes of relationships and youth are not
unexplored territory within the realms of film and narrative, the feature that sets this film apart
from others is the hybridised genre, the film is built on a foundation of a classic rom com with a
dose of black comedy.
There is a certain symmetry that is evident in both the aesthetic of the film and the relation-
ships of the characters, this is just one of the many aspects of the style and form of the film that
made it stand out greatly in comparison to other films of this calibre. There is an elaborate,
almost perfectionist symmetry between the characters that changes throughout the film, and
melds perfectly with the film’s form. This symmetry starts with the unresolved and obvious
conflict between the sisters at the beginning of the film, which continues throughout until the
entrance of the plumber. His entrance changes the group dynamic from the uncomfortable
threesome to a steady set of couplets, with the protagonist siding with this new, neutralising
character and the older sister and date frankly abandoned. We come full circle and this shift
provides the audience with some sense of resolution, a feeling as though the sister and even
the date have been dealt with some form of karma for the evening and the protagonist is pro-
vided with a new start and a new chance for the titular first impression.
As a whole, the film is a sharp and original perspective of a young love story in the modern age,
the film subverts the Shakespeare-esque idea of a monogamous be– all end-all and instead gives
the young protagonist not only a chance to escape her car-crash of a date, but the choice to
establish a new identity, outside of her relationship with her sister. We, as the audience, are
left with a satisfying outcome of the timid character taking charge of her life and following her
own path in the end. The film has great potential and is tipped to be very successful in the
short film community following its official release.
| Ge eral Release | Issue April