What happens when you die but don’t crossover to the other side? What is keeping your non-corporeal form tethered to this mortal coil? What if the answers you seek are being denied because the person now inhabiting your room is a moody teenage girl who despises that she is the only one who can see and hear you? Welcome to the set-up of Intermedium.
Bridget (Emily Keefe) and her parents, Greg (Rudd Anderson) and Diane (Chris Lindsay-Abaire), move to a new house in a new town. They had to do this abruptly for undisclosed reasons. However, there is another tenet in the house – Kyle (Beau Minniear). Kyle died in a car crash not too long ago, and now Bridget is living in his room.
“Kyle died in a car crash not too long ago, and now Bridget is living in his room.”
Neither one of them is keen on this, but throughout the school year, they come to a mutual arrangement. But, when Bridget’s dad becomes sick, her onerous exterior begins to fade. This allows Kyle and her to see new facets of each other they missed before.
Erik Bloomquist‘s latest short is a marked departure from his moody, intense, head-spinning directorial debut, Long Lost. So, how does he fare in the romantic drama genre with a supernatural bent? I am pleased to report that his skills are on full display as he weaves a shockingly deep story about accepting others, and yourself, warts and all. Through excellent editing and clever use of the single locale (the house) setting and moody lighting, he crafts a dramatic and engaging little tale.
The 20-minute film also deals with how being heard and understood are essential to all so that each person can feel that they belong in this world, as everyone should. The empathy that arises from such understanding leads to a bittersweet conclusion that is pitch-perfect and more than just a little heartbreaking.
"…a shockingly deep story about accepting others, and yourself, warts and all."
