Movie Review : Curfew (2012)

What's fun about the Oscar nominated short films is that they have the strongest identity. They're made by just a couple of people with little to no outside influence, so their creators are all on the same page and go in the same direction. CURFEW is written, directed, edited and starred in by the same man, Shawn Christensen. While it's not a perfect movie (it has a fondness for children-related clichés), you can't blame it to not have its shit together. CURFEW has a tight script, haunting scenes and most important, it keeps a sense of humor about itself. Of all the five Oscar nominees short films, it's the one showing the most cohesive vision. Not surprising since it's the vision of one man, but highly enjoyable nonetheless.

The movie open with Richie (Christensen) cutting his wrists in his bathtub. The phone rings and having nothing to lose, Richie answers. His sister Maggie (Kim Allen) is desperate and needs him to babysit her daughter Sophia (Fatima Ptacek) for a couple of hours. It's clear that the relationship is thoroughly broken between brother and sister, but Richie accepts. Sophia turns out to be an energetic, quick-witted girl reconnects him with more innocent and passionate self (you know, that children-related cliché I was telling you about). Nothing turns out like it was supposed to, during Richie's last day on Earth.

Throughout my viewing of CURFEW, I underwent a profound questioning about why the hell I found that film so moving. Everyone has a different cause at heart. Some care about the children, others about elders of abused women. I think my cause is people who hurt themselves. It's an issue that Shawn Christensen understands very well and acts beautifully. He can renders the emptiness and the psychological exhaustion of a suicidal person with great accuracy. Whenever that exhaustion came into play and carried the scene (like...uh...during the crushingly beautiful last five minutes), CURFEW went from beautiful to transcendent.

A storyline that revolved around children is always a hot potato to handle and Shawn Christensen's CURFEW doesn't get away without a few first degree burns. Still, it's a strong movie that exposes what happens to people when they grow too old and too far from who the were in too little time. It would've benefited from being a full-length feature as the subject could have been brought up with way more subtlety, but Christensen is working miracles with the resources he was dealt. I don't think CURFEW will win the Oscar next Sunday, but I'm just glad the nomination brought up this talented writer/director/actor to my attention. Shawn Christensen, consider yourself on my radar.

FOUR STARS