User Reviews

Randy is a lonely young man . In an attempt to find love he has been corresponding with convicted prisoner Chrystal . Chrystal's release comes and Randy takes her back to his trailer but as things turn out it's not going to be the romantic night Randy was planning on

Despite having a very strong sense of time and place this is in fact a British short film . This shouldn't be seen as any sort of problem because it is a very clever and involving short film with a very clever plot turn but it also has that sort of very slightly condescending world view of Americana - " Only In America " It's a country perceived as having an astronomical crime rate , rather uneducated ,dumb people with religious leanings and slightly strange names and who live in trailers . Let me see now . Randy and Chrystal get together after Chrystal's release from the big house and they go back to Randy's trailer which has crucifixes in the background . Good job it's not set in Edinburgh Scotland otherwise it might have featured a couple falling in love as they queue up for their methadone prescription at the local chemist . That said America has TO CATCH A PREDATOR while Britain has JIM'LL FIX IT and IT'S A KNOCKOUT so let's not feel too superior to our colonial cousins

Despite the major plot turn it never feels too incredible and over the top . Much of this is down to the cast and while the narrative itself can be seen as cruel the cast have resisted the temptation to play the roles as mean criminals/pathetic victim and we do get to see even a bad person in America is capable of polite friendliness . It's not a brilliant outstanding short but it is very entertaining one

Young Randy has never been good with women although this time his letters and cards with prisoner Crystal seems to have enabled him to get over the usual phase of meeting for the first time and getting to know one another. However, on release he finds he is still awkward and unsure of what to do, despite her being the love of his life. Crystal is gentle with him, trying to help the night get where it is going, but perhaps this is not the great relationship it always seemed to be on paper.

Despite being a British film made by a student at the London Film School, it is very much an American story although I guess it was shot in the UK but just with very good set design? Who knows, but anyway, the story is based on the statistics of more people seeking love in the outside world by looking inwards to prisons and making connections via letter. This idea that people would be afraid of those difficult first steps and seek an easier way is a nice one and it unfolds into a sort of "just do it" film which is cheering and nicely warm, even while at the same time it has a comic darkness to it. To say more than this would be to say too much, so I'll leave it at that.

Hennenfent is awkward without being so pathetic that the viewer loses sympathy or interest for him, while Wittman is harsh but not without kindness, which is what the material needed. Jones is good in a small role with a good mix of carefree menace and humor in his performance. Aston's direction is good, making the most of the small trailer location and manages to very much make it feel like America in there. While it may end on a simple conclusion, because the whole film is nicely done with warmth and a slight touch, the ending does still work and is nicely uplifting, bringing out the warmth from the whole film as opposed to the darker aspects.