FIL-AM is playing at SBIFF (Santa Barbara International Film Festival), and I had the opportunity to see an early look โ hereโs my spoiler-free take:
Short-films are hard. Filmmakers usually have the odds stacked against them. From low-budgets, inexperienced actors, and trying to capture the audienceโs attention and have them feel some sort of empathy in a limited amount of time is a daunting task. Thatโs why when a short like FIL-AM effortlessly moves you as an audience in under fifteen minutes, it quickly becomes a film you donโt want to โdipโ out on.
That’s all, thanks to writer/director Ralph Torrefranca. He’s able to get the most from A MAN ON THE INSIDE’s Deuce Basco, who turns in a soulful performance as Jonah, the down-on-his-luck teen who’s having to decide on whether he can “offer his mom grace.โ
This proof-of-concept might center on a Filipino family, yet the themes of teenage angst and resistance to change are universal. Jonah’s journey is intertwined with his Filipino-American identity, adding a unique layer to the filmโs narrative. In Jonah, I saw some of the same struggles my family is going through with a teenager who pushes back on everything we say. Those years arenโt easy, and itโs encouraging to see how Torrenfranca uses those themes in his short film while also exploring what it means to be ‘American.’
Final Thought: Before FIL-AM, I didnโt know who Ralph Torrefranca was. After the film, I canโt wait to see what he makes next.
FIL-AM premieres at SBIFF on Sat 2/7 – 8:40 PM
