When we first meet Gregory (Joseph Fuoco) he's at his home office trying to play his old guitar, but something is not right, he can't focus, he can't get the strings to compose the notes that in the past would have emerged with ease. Something is getting in the way and it's frustrating for Greg. Greg attends the Bus Stop Café, a bohemian music and poetry club where he gets to see others on stage while he sits with his friend Kenny and enjoys the talents of his fellow artists, except of course that when people suggest that Greg should get on stage and play his guitar he keeps passing on the offer. Greg has been happily married for years with his wife, Victoria (Constance Reschey) and they have a son, Adam (Mahdi Shadji) who is bound for college. While Greg seems to be content with his life, every time he attempts to play his guitar he keeps getting flashbacks of the moment everything changed for him, a moment that perhaps is the reason as to why he isn't able to play again.
ALL OVER AGAIN is a character study and an examination of creative block, for some this condition may seem as a minimal affliction, but in reality creative crippling is an endlessly frustrating state of mind. While the condition may not be medical or something that could be cured through common medicine, it is still an ordeal for those whose living depends of their creativity, whether it is music, writing or painting. In Greg's case he's unable to play his guitar (although we don't know for how long this has been happening) and every time he attempts to do so the strings just won't respond to his fingers, or perhaps his fingers won't respond to the strings. Greg keeps going to the café perhaps searching for inspiration, looking at others who can tap into their creative skills and talents and simply play, it's not self-torture but sometimes Greg seems to be trying to find in others what he has lost. Back at home, Greg lives a happy existence along with his wife and son, he seems to have been living a good life, his wife is loving and supporting and their son has grown into a formidable young man who is on his way to a successful stint in college. As we see in flashbacks, Greg used to play his guitar with ease when he was young, playing for his wife and on his own. But everything changed once Victoria got pregnant and it appears that while Greg was happy with the news, his life changed forever. We don't know for sure, but it is implied that Greg probably had to leave a career as a musician in order to support his new family. Greg does not recent this, nor he is bitter about it, but it does reflect in his inability to play his guitar. So, now that Greg has successfully supported his family through the years and has also proven to himself that he made the right choice, with this peace of mind, his guitar skills come back and he is now inspired by his family to play and sing again. Many films concentrate on people who are at the beginning of their careers, young and full of dreams and vitality, but we seldom see the point of view of someone who is much more mature and older who attempts to return to their passion and re-ignite their dreams. Greg is not portrayed as a bitter resentful man, on the contrary, he is a good husband and he never takes his frustration out on his loved ones, precisely because they are his loved ones. In any other film, Greg would have been portrayed as someone who either had a drinking problem to drawn his sorrow or someone who was alienated from his family due to his artistic depression. But this is not that character, Greg is a man's man. He made a choice, he made the best out of it and never turned back in regret, and now that he can look back at his life and be satisfied with his choices, he can pick up his guitar once more and go at it. It's meant to inspire people like Greg who put their dreams on hold in order to take responsibility to realize that it's really never too late to begin ALL OVER AGAIN.
Joseph McGovern's short film debut is focused on its story and its characters, it's not pretentious work but rather a straightforward folk tale about something that many people can relate to, not just from a creative point of view but also for those who are probably at a stage in their lives where they are looking back at their choices and asking themselves if they did the right thing and whom sacrificed something they were passionate about in order to be responsible. In this regard, McGovern makes an assured debut and statement where he wants to tell people in that situation that yes, taking responsibility and making the best out of it can be just as fulfilling as chasing one's dreams. McGovern's actor's direction is also on point; props have to go to his main performer Joseph Fuoco as Greg. Fuoco transmits the quiet frustration in Greg as he tries to pick up his guitar and his failure to concentrate without going into fits, he goes instead for a subdued and sensible representation of such a complex state of mind, much more internalized and personal, rather than explosive and flashy. Fuoco transmits an almost Zen calm from Greg, which is part of his personality. You can see this man knows he can still get back on the saddle, but he has to figure out exactly what keeps him from focusing. It's an interesting character arc that is uncomplicated, while it is psychological it doesn't dabble into deep complicated characterizations of the human mind, rather it goes for an easier explanation for Greg's state of mind, it only required for him to search his feeling in order to get to root source of the problem. It's this simplicity and uncomplicated minimalist approach to its subject that fits so well with Greg's folk music. Much like its main character, this film picks up its themes and shows them so well because it knows itself so well.
ALL OVER AGAIN is a character study and an examination of creative block, for some this condition may seem as a minimal affliction, but in reality creative crippling is an endlessly frustrating state of mind. While the condition may not be medical or something that could be cured through common medicine, it is still an ordeal for those whose living depends of their creativity, whether it is music, writing or painting. In Greg's case he's unable to play his guitar (although we don't know for how long this has been happening) and every time he attempts to do so the strings just won't respond to his fingers, or perhaps his fingers won't respond to the strings. Greg keeps going to the café perhaps searching for inspiration, looking at others who can tap into their creative skills and talents and simply play, it's not self-torture but sometimes Greg seems to be trying to find in others what he has lost. Back at home, Greg lives a happy existence along with his wife and son, he seems to have been living a good life, his wife is loving and supporting and their son has grown into a formidable young man who is on his way to a successful stint in college. As we see in flashbacks, Greg used to play his guitar with ease when he was young, playing for his wife and on his own. But everything changed once Victoria got pregnant and it appears that while Greg was happy with the news, his life changed forever. We don't know for sure, but it is implied that Greg probably had to leave a career as a musician in order to support his new family. Greg does not recent this, nor he is bitter about it, but it does reflect in his inability to play his guitar. So, now that Greg has successfully supported his family through the years and has also proven to himself that he made the right choice, with this peace of mind, his guitar skills come back and he is now inspired by his family to play and sing again. Many films concentrate on people who are at the beginning of their careers, young and full of dreams and vitality, but we seldom see the point of view of someone who is much more mature and older who attempts to return to their passion and re-ignite their dreams. Greg is not portrayed as a bitter resentful man, on the contrary, he is a good husband and he never takes his frustration out on his loved ones, precisely because they are his loved ones. In any other film, Greg would have been portrayed as someone who either had a drinking problem to drawn his sorrow or someone who was alienated from his family due to his artistic depression. But this is not that character, Greg is a man's man. He made a choice, he made the best out of it and never turned back in regret, and now that he can look back at his life and be satisfied with his choices, he can pick up his guitar once more and go at it. It's meant to inspire people like Greg who put their dreams on hold in order to take responsibility to realize that it's really never too late to begin ALL OVER AGAIN.
Joseph McGovern's short film debut is focused on its story and its characters, it's not pretentious work but rather a straightforward folk tale about something that many people can relate to, not just from a creative point of view but also for those who are probably at a stage in their lives where they are looking back at their choices and asking themselves if they did the right thing and whom sacrificed something they were passionate about in order to be responsible. In this regard, McGovern makes an assured debut and statement where he wants to tell people in that situation that yes, taking responsibility and making the best out of it can be just as fulfilling as chasing one's dreams. McGovern's actor's direction is also on point; props have to go to his main performer Joseph Fuoco as Greg. Fuoco transmits the quiet frustration in Greg as he tries to pick up his guitar and his failure to concentrate without going into fits, he goes instead for a subdued and sensible representation of such a complex state of mind, much more internalized and personal, rather than explosive and flashy. Fuoco transmits an almost Zen calm from Greg, which is part of his personality. You can see this man knows he can still get back on the saddle, but he has to figure out exactly what keeps him from focusing. It's an interesting character arc that is uncomplicated, while it is psychological it doesn't dabble into deep complicated characterizations of the human mind, rather it goes for an easier explanation for Greg's state of mind, it only required for him to search his feeling in order to get to root source of the problem. It's this simplicity and uncomplicated minimalist approach to its subject that fits so well with Greg's folk music. Much like its main character, this film picks up its themes and shows them so well because it knows itself so well.