HALIFAX PIER played at SBIFF (Santa Barbara International Film Festival), and I had the opportunity to see an early look. Here’s my spoiler-free take:
HALIFAX PIER is a short film by Matthew D. Herst. It captures the intensity of being in a co-dependent relationship and how indecisiveness can become your enemy. Herst stated in an interview with us that he was aiming to have a John Cassavetes-like style. And while the film doesn’t reach the same heights as the great Cassavetes’s work, it still packs a punch thanks to a slice-of-life, handheld style, mixed with a commanding Claire Danes-like performance from Kelsey Falconer.
Two elements really pulled me into HALIFAX PIER. The first was the intense music and camera style. Each sequence feels like a thriller, as audiences are forced to grapple with what the heck Myra is doing in the will-they-or-won’t-they dynamic between her and Percy (Dylan Hatton). The second is in the little moments that show how much your partner’s disdain toward you builds as a result of your actions. From a story told too many times, and drunken behavior that can infuriate. It’s in those moments, how Percy treats Myra, where you see the anger crescendo, yet also get a sense that she’s too co-dependent on anything about it. In other words, it’s a dance that neither one of them wants to take part in, but they are too wrapped around each other to let go.
Final Thought: You don’t need to “hitchhike” to see HALIFAX PIER. It’s a solid look at the destruction of a relationship without a clear resolution. Yet, isn’t that fuzziness what any broken co-dependent relationship is?
HALIFAX PIER had its world premiere at SBIFF on Tuesday, 2/10 – 11:20 AM
