Making a good short film is a very hard task. You have only a few minutes to tell a story and have some kind or point or message to it. Sounds easy, but how many ideas can you come up with that fit this bill and are more than just a quick and forgettable sniblet? Like a Hershey’s Kiss, most shorts are fun while they last, but soon are over and leave nothing behind.
So, how do you get around the Hershey’s Kiss Dilemma? A lot of filmmakers go the experimental/ disturbing route. Sure, they’ll leave a sour taste in our mouths afterwards, but at least something is left behind. Unfortunately, “i love you” goes this path.
I’ll try not to ruin the plot, but it’s a little hard in a four-minute movie with only one line. A couple repeats, “I love you,” to each other over and over in differing tones. Sometimes they’re angry, sometimes they’re serious, sometimes they’re laughing. You get the idea. Then it gets disturbing. Okay, there is a point here about the overuse of that phrase, I grant that. But so many more dynamic things could be done with this theme. Also, the unsettling slammer is salacious and unnecessary.
This is part three in a series of personal films from 824 Pictures. It’s good that the films are not directly related as “i love you” doesn’t really wrap up much or go anywhere. Then again, if the next film continues along these lines, perhaps they should call part four, “i bore you.”
