Sylvie and Cal

Short films often present a piece of a character’s life, and the key is to say a lot within that fragment without saying it. In his short film, Sylvie and Cal, writer/director Tymon Brown slowly reveals the emotional burden carried by a couple to not only the friends and family at a party but to us, the audience as well.

A leisurely walk in the park for the couple, Sylvie (Sofia Lauwers) and Cal (Kazu Watanabe), ends at a picnic gathering with friends and family to celebrate and commemorate the passing of Cal’s sister Kelly. Brown’s short film is an exercise in the idea of being physically present at a party while mentally being miles away.

“…being physically present at a party while mentally being miles away.”

While conversing with guests, the couple engages in small talk, lurks in on discussions already taking place, and soon the two find themselves separating from the rest of the party-goers. What’s on their minds is not just the passing of Kelly, but the whirlwind change their lives took when Sylvie and Cal took it upon themselves to adopt and raise Kelly’s infant daughter.

Tymon Brown’s work is very familiar to us at Film Threat. His work is about conveying the emotions that lie underneath mundane situations, like a first date or helping a friend move. With Sylvie and Cal, the theme is the distance that forms in all relationships. It is a distance that slowly grows when the relationship is not tended to or nurtured. With his latest dramatic short, Brown continues to show his mastery of subtle storytelling.