Some Short Films I've Been Watching Spoilers

I used to not really watch Short Films. They’ve always been the hardest Oscar categories to find in theaters. And to be honest I used to not really get them. If you grew up on Youtube, you’re used to short form sketches or vlogs that you watched probably way too much after school. These could range from true passionate amateur to professionally made and marketed content. There was and still is so much variety.

You can find short films on Youtube, but if you do these are often uploaded after they’ve had their festival run. Film Festivals usually carry restrictions on wide releases prior to screenings. So maybe short films are just more exclusive than Youtube videos? Well no, there’s an art to making a complete narrative in under 40 minutes. You still need a cast, crew, and a production schedule. So many elements that go into filmmaking have to be condensed and sped up to complete a short film. Think of how many great movies flounder around for a scene or two before we get back to the good parts. You can’t have that in a great short film. Everything needs to work together.

Recently, I connected with writer and actor Timothy J. Cox (based in Columbus Ohio) to watch a few short films produced by Alysm Films. Alysm Films has produced five (and now more) of his scripts into short films. They range from families dealing with grief to the mundane moments of a Sunday morning. Some appeal to me more than others, but all are well crafted by a dedicated team.

AFTER (Short 2023)

Directed by Thomas Angeletti, Written by Timothy J. Cox

After is the story of a police officer and his daughter dealing with the grief and loss of their son and brother. It’s a familiar story that we all vaguely understand. There’s tension between following the law and pursuing justice the right way or giving in to your vengeance. I may be the wrong person to review this short because I don’t love the subject matter. The short film is well made. There’s no fluff and a good interesting watch.

The set design for this is perfection. The rooms have all the trademark decorations a middle class family may have, while serving to separate its leads by furniture and blocking to further create emotional distance. And the leads are great in this film. Beth Metcalf gets a great little scene while verbally sparring with her father played by Timothy J Cox, who also wrote the film. For his part, Cox has some great facial expressions as he refuses to look his daughter in the eye and process his grief.

You can watch this short film on Youtube.

HARD TRUTHS (2023)
Directed by Maya Ahmed, Written by Timothy J. Cox

Hard Truths is about a an agent who has to give their client bad news. That’s it, simple, effective, and interesting. There’s a lot of subtle and unspoken characterization given throughout. Peter, the agent, has a flirty relationship with a producer, then a tense stand off encounter with his client’s husband, an awkward conversation with the photographer, and finally the conservation with his client. There’s good, memorable characters and they all serve a distinct point-of-view.

Timothy J Cox has a really good “oh shit” face. The opening shot of him sitting in his car tapping the wheel hyping himself to talk with his client is something special. It’s very dry and it got a big laugh out of me. It’s a quick shot, but it’s really perfect. Even when he’s facing away from the camera, and the husband says a kinda mean and aggressive comment, his subtle “mmhmm” is so good.

Maybe it’s more realistic for an agent to be pushier with their client or less accessible, but it's an endearing dynamic. He’s almost more career mentor than agent. Sometimes idealism is needed over realism.

You can watch this short film on Youtube.

SUNDAYS WITH DAD (2024)
Directed by Thomas Angeletti, Written by Timothy J. Cox

Sundays with Dad is a sweet tender short film about well spending your Sunday morning with your dad. It’s not a heavy movie and is generally a positive relationship. The father and son duo aren’t really combative to each other. There’s ribbing and inside jokes. There’s a bit of confusion and misunderstanding but nothing that really feels like conflict. It’s only halfway, coincidentally when they change location, do we arrive to the conflict: Ben has hired a prostitute for friendship and his son is concerned.

I try not to review movies like I’m grading them, but this is actually a very good example of what a short film should be. There’s good staging between the characters signifying their differences. Simple framing places objects between them to get past. The background sound of cicadas is at first overwhelming until the very purposeful silence of a character going inside again creating a void. It’s decisions like this that make a film more than just it’s story. It’s simple and easy like a Sunday morning.

You can watch this short film on Youtube.

GOOD LUCK TO ME (2024)
Directed by Maya Ahmed, Written by Timothy J. Cox

Good Luck to Me is an oddly sentimental look at a couple going through a breakup. The film is simple, with Heather Bayles as “Her and Timothy J. Cox playing “Him.” There’s no names in this short film because it could be any couple. Cox’ writing has a sentimental quality to it. Even when he’s letting go of something, there’s always a fondness, never resentment. There’s no villain in this story in fact we don’t even know why they’re breaking up.

The staging in this film is clever. The main characters are purposely static sitting in the front of the camera, while waiters and other patrons move out of focus. Left in this state, the actors’ faces and voices do so much heavy lifting. Bayles and Cox create characters which are fundamentally different in the way they eat, sit, and talk. The camera also remains static except a few hard cuts to close ups. Despite the characters processing a break up and remaining still, the film isn’t full of fluff or drags. We spend the correct amount of time on each pained sentence and each cumbersome interaction.

This film is currently in its festival run and not available to wider audiences.

LET DAN GO (2026) Directed by Arielle Caroll Written by Timothy J. Cox

Where Good Luck to Me felt simple and barebones, this feels bigger and dramatic. It’s a noticeable evolution from their previous work and I love the execution. This film is kinda a downer… “Several years after the car accident that took his son’s life, Harry still grieving reconnects with Dan’s girlfriend.” I knew to expect the trademark sentimental and bittersweet reality that Cox writes, but I did not expect to see two timelines in the movie: the accident and the aftermath.

Cox plays Harry, the father of Dan, he’s great in this role. He’s regretful and at times standoffish with Abby (Ashlee Lawhorn), Dan’s girlfriend. Lawhorn is a great addition to Alysm Films. She’s really the lead of the movie being at both the accident and the awkward reunion. She has a great scene midway through that’s a very realistic and flustered reaction to the news of the accident.

This film is about moving on from a type of grief. In some ways, the characters are doing better, but in a lot of ways there’s a hole that’s threatening to consume them. Their reunion is short and to the point. The characters have clear differences in their outlooks post accident. There’s not a firm resolution, which is realistic and intentional, but the film leaves me wanting these characters to be whole again. Let Dan Go is easily my favorite of the Alysm Films team. It’s rawer than their other work. Lawhorn is a great scene partner to Cox.

This film is currently in it’s festival run and not available to wider audiences. If you get the chance to see it, I highly recommend it.