Photos by © Daniel D. Moses 
Written and directed by Louis Chan, Stationary is how you tell a captivating story in a short film. One location, progressive characters pushing each other, with outside influences development and stories lingering in the ether around our key three.
Taking place in a car, we meet Jimmy (Aaron Thomas Ward), a former drug dealer who’s decided to meet up with his childhood friend Che (Rebekah Murrell) to have a discussion about how concerned he is over her future, and also to try and make her realise that she’s very close to leading her younger brother Gino (Xavien Russell) down a path that could change his life forever.
Jimmy also has experience of how wrong things can get and, without delving into spoilers – this is a short film after all – things grow in tension and depth as the conversations and arguments get heated because, let’s face it, nobody likes to be told the reality of their situation, especially if they can’t see beyond their own day-to-day existence.
Many short films try to do too much, with excessive locations and a feature-film-like effort to put everything in, but without a clear focus of the story, yet Stationary gives you all you need, because it’s so tightly honed and utterly believable, you feel the stories and tension growing which is achieved so intelligently.
As well as quality cinematography from Samira Oberberg, it’s Chan’s writing and directing makes the difference, these are fully enveloped characters with history and a story to tell, right through their age differences. It’s compelling and the depth of that development, alongside superb performances from all three actors, means you’re part of the conversation and genuinely eager to know what happens next.
critical popcorn 