THE GIVE AND TAKE (2018)

THE GIVE AND TAKE (2018)

Tagline: Destiny Is Calling.

(Sci-Fi, Dry Humor, Timey Wimey Stuff) [Short]

Note – There was no MPAA rating for this movie, but it would likely have been a PG. 

In this one, a young girl named Amy is being asked to alphabetize old CDs at her house. She gets easily sidetracked by an 80’s video game system, but cannot figure out how to get over one of the challenges. Something cosmic draws her attention to the game's manual and helpline. She calls the number and a gaming expert named Caesar Spinone answers… The exchange over the phone is about to change both of their lives.

First off, I have already watched this twice and will likely several more times. Upon the first watch, I knew something awesome had happened, but it actually took me two watches to pick up on important details that helped make this a complete film. Yes! What we have here is a complete film in just 10 minutes. I’ve seen complete films in 6 minutes and even less. So, no, I don’t really accept the idea that 10 minutes is too short of a time to tell a great and complete story. 

Acting-wise, Amy is played by Macy Drouin who pretty much drives this story and does a pretty decent job. She is best known for the TV series “Reign” and plays Agatha. She is playing an eleven-year-old in this film, but I am not sure how old she is now. Currently, she already has 15 projects to her name which is more than some talents that have been in Hollywood for decades. Amy’s mother in the film is played by Anna Hopkins who is best known as Samantha Clayton from the “Arrow” TV series. She wasn’t in this much but she’s fine in the very short scene she gets. I should also note that she both wrote and directed this thing so hats off because this one is a gem. Matthew Gouveia plays Caesar Spinone and is very likable right off the bat. He is best known for his role as Mano on the short-lived TV show “Killjoys”. 

Cinematically this thing really works on a small scale. It’s not over the top nuts, but there are a few shots with cool effects. The pacing is extremely solid and the dialog keeps you interested throughout. I like how during the interaction between Amy and Caesar that it’s pretty clear that they each probably wouldn’t know the references either is using, but they gloss over those to find the things that they both can identify with. There isn’t really a score to speak of, but it doesn’t feel like anything is missing. 

I don’t want to give too much away here, but in an extremely crowded sci-fi short film field, THE GIVE AND TAKE stands out among the more delightful and heartwarming efforts using a fairly minimalistic but effective approach. My only critique is that the name of the short perhaps could have used some tweaking. Like maybe I would have named it “RETRO GLITCH” or “SOMEONE GIVE CAROL A SNICKERS” or something like that. Needless to say – that is a pretty odd complaint.

Overall I loved this one and I have to give it a 5 out of 7. We got a really solid really endearing sci-fi, which is about 7 out of every 100.

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF HAVELOCK FILMS AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

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