Being an adolescent is tough enough. The operative word is “Change.” Physiological and emotional transformations come at you fast and furious. For most teens, some of the most critical decisions and the paths we choose about our future are made at this time. In director Farbod Khoshtinat’s short film, Two Little Boys, he captures a moment that will change the lives of two teens forever.
The film opens with VHS footage of two boys, Josh and Tyler, playing together at the swing set of a local park. Cut to today, and we see a very familiar bullying incident in a high school locker room. Josh (Trace Talbot), sporting a black eye, is hiding from what is sure to be another severe beating. He’s hiding from Tyler (Asa Germann) and Sam (Jordon Kyle). Yes, it’s the same Josh and Tyler from the VHS video.
“Josh, sporting a black eye, is hiding from what is sure to be another severe beating.”
As Josh is hiding, he’s holding onto a note, and we see the words “I love you, forever” written on it. Inevitably, Tyler and Sam catch up to Josh. As the beating begins, Tyler screams, “what did you tell them!?!” Josh replies, “that you raped me.”
Needless to say, director Khoshtinat raises the stakes pretty high in Two Little Boys. He finds a surprisingly unconventional hook in this story of a boy declaring his love to a closeted bully. For me, the violence in the film is a little hard to watch, which is a testament to how grounded the story is and effective this moment. The performance from all three leads is fantastic, and the choice of camera angles and shot composition from DP Sam Chatterjee just adds to this compelling story. Two Little Boys will easily stand out from the pack for this year’s pride month features and shorts.
"…a surprisingly unconventional hook in this story of a boy declaring his love..."
