Ryan Lilienfield’s short film, Dead Presidents, is the story of two brothers teetering on the edge of despair and their option in life is the most extreme option. Mark (Galen Howard) and Chris (Blake Sheldon) are two brothers with no meaningful prospects in life. Their only next step finds themselves in front of a bank armed with guns, a bag, and rubber masks of presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Chris is unsure if he can do this, but Mark emphatically states it’s just one job, and they can take the money to Amsterdam like their father.
Hours later, the boys find themselves in a hostage situation, and with the slip of a trigger finger, things go terribly wrong.
We’re all pretty familiar with the brothers’ bank robbery tale, Hell or High Water. What starts as a solid plan for a hopeful future goes horribly wrong. Unlike Hell or High Water, filmmaker Ryan Lilienfield gets right to the heart of the matter in his 12-minute short.
“…finds themselves in front of a bank armed with guns, a bag, and rubber masks of presidents…”
It’s all good storytelling, as Lilienfield drops us right into the situation. Galen Howard and Blake Sheldon’s performances tell us everything we need to know about Mark and Chris as people, their relationship as brothers, and their immediate wants. As an audience, we know where the tale is heading, and then Lilienfield drops a bittersweet ending about brotherhood.
Dead Presidents is an emotionally charged short that makes the most of its 12-minute runtime. Ryan Lilienfield crafts a familiar yet poignant tale of desperation and family, brought to life through Galen Howard and Blake Sheldon’s fantastic performances. With its sharp storytelling and bittersweet conclusion, this is a robbery story that steals more than cash—it nabs your emotions, too.
"…steals more than cash—it nabs your emotions, too."
