You get to choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family. So the parental roles are flipped for a young teen and his father in George-Alex Nagle’s short film, Mate.
Jack (Jeremy Blewitt) has decided to spend some time with this on-again-off-again father, John (Joshua Brennan). John makes his best go during this father/son weekend, and quickly we realize why he was never given custody of Jack post-divorce. John is a man-child who spends his life drinking, partying, and getting laid. The weekend starts well with a bit of awkward catching-up, but now it’s time to head off to the bar and sneak underaged Jack a drink. Quickly, the weekend heads south as John notices Jack texting his mother.
“John is a man-child who spends his life drinking, partying, and getting laid.”
The best compliment I can give to director George-Alex Nagle is that I could see Mate turned into a feature film. The dynamic between Jack and John is intriguing and could be explored much deeper. Jack loves his father but is incredibly disappointed with his behavior and the fact that John doesn’t take his future seriously. On the other hand, John would be a lifelong delinquent if not for the fact that Jack exists. It’s easy enough to stay at arm’s length, but there is a bit of pride and regret he feels as a father.
Mate has two outstanding performances from Blewitt and Brennan, and the unfortunate adventure the two go on is incredible. It hits on several sour spots between these two, who are only together by blood. Again, how is this not a feature film?
For more information about Mate, visit the October Media-Australia website.
"…how is this not a feature film?"
