Film Review: Curfew
Morbidly funny short film with a surprisingly sweet heart
It is no mean feat to direct a short film — let alone to write, edit, and star in it as well. Yet that is precisely what Shawn Christensen has achieved.
In Curfew, he (Christensen) plays Richie, a suicidal ex-drug addict with nothing to lose except his life. When his sister with whom he has a troubled relationship, calls to ask if he can look after her daughter for the evening, he agrees — even though he just tried to slit his wrists in a sad attempt to end his life. Enter the next scene, where he meets his young niece. They get off to a rocky start (“I don’t care” is her reply when Richie greets her), but just like so many unlikely couples before them, they bond throughout the evening.
Running at 19 minutes, the Christensen accomplished to capture the attention of the Academy Awards. There are several excellent reasons why Curfew took home the Oscar for the best live-action short film in 2013, but the main reason is its outstanding lead child actress. The 12-year-old Fatima Ptacek portrays the brutally honest, no-nonsense Sophia with a comical and seemingly natural adult haughtiness. Her superb acting talent is best seen when she shows the vulnerability of her character — Sophia is, after all, a child looking for affection and safety. Her air of nonchalance is just a defence mechanism.
There are so many aspects of this short film that find their way to the viewer’s heart: Sophia’s disarming wit, Richie’s hopeless search for meaning in his life, the beautifully shot locations, and the clever writing are but a few. There is a particularly touching scene at a bowling alley, where Sophia turns the place into a disco, the viewer is left in awe not knowing if this scene is happening or if it is just a drug-fuelled haze in Christensen’s head. Neither the less it adds a great moment of fun and gives a sense of childhood spontaneity and amusement to the film. Fatima turns her character from a millennial brat to a sweet and charming girl from start to finish her on-screen charm never fails to lose your attention.
It is the pearls of cinematic perfection like these that make Curfew a very moving, touching, and unforgettable experience. With the final scene giving you hope for the protagonist, the film leaves you feeling optimistic about the character and hopeful for his future. Curfew is the prelude to a longer movie. Winning an Academy Award is quite possibly the best publicity imaginable. Christensen developed Richie and Sophia’s flowering friendship into the feature film Before I Disappear. It premiered at SXSW festival in 2014, where it received the Audience Award.
