This is a very well made film but it's also sad in many ways. Manny is a young man--probably about 12. He's about to have a birthday and is trying to find where his mom hid his present. Finally, he finds a new pair of cool basketball shoes and instead of waiting, puts them on and goes for a walk. He stops by a local basketball court in the city where he lives and some older guys are playing. One of them is a real jerk--he's pushy and mean and obnoxious as can be--so much so that the others finally just go home. Manny sticks around and shoots some baskets with this mean guy. Suddenly, the jerk knocks Manny down and steals the shoes. Manny can't do much of anything to stop him. Later, this same jerk is playing ball again and he's even more of a jerk--full of viciousness. Just for kicks, he destroys another guy's boom box--at which point he's just gone too far. The next scene, the jerk is shot in the head and as he lays there dying, Manny goes back to retrieve his shoes! This is a very sad film in many ways. While the punk was a total jerk and you want him to get a comeuppance, having him shot in the head and dying in the snow was a sad end to say the least. The story is about how life is sometimes cheap--and it vividly illustrates the point.
Well made and sad--I'd like to see more from the folks who made this short film.
Well made and sad--I'd like to see more from the folks who made this short film.
