Colin Henning starred, wrote, and directed the delightful short film Eden for Two about two young Hungarian men landing on American shores in 1989. Hungary is still under Communism, and they’ve escaped to build new lives. Henning plays István, who is subletting an apartment in Manhattan with his friend József (Brian D. McCormack). While József embraces the idea of integrating with a new culture, István wants to bring his old-world ways to the U.S. He plans a traditional Hungarian wedding when his fiance arrives. When Maria Louse (Hayleigh Hart Franklin) from next door brings over the newspaper, they make their first American friend.
“…two young Hungarian men land on American shores…”
Henning gracefully builds relatable, sympathetic characters and situations in the short film’s compressed runtime. He deploys the shorthand dialogue and mannerisms that many filmmakers fail to achieve in long features. This is no small part because of the sparkling performances of the three leads. Each of them plants their character’s flag early and powers through the story. The glory and grime of New York are shown in equal parts.
With shades of In America and perhaps a bit of the humor of Perfect Strangers, Eden for Two explores the delight and heartbreak in the time-honored tale of immigrants having their lives turned upside down and finding hope in the new world on the other side.
"…glory and grime of New York are shown in equal parts."
