Billy is not even a toddler and, lets be honest, has pretty much no idea what is going on around him most of the time. But when his parents and older sister get him ready for a day out, he is excited and gurgles along as they load the picnic into the car even though the father is hoping to slip off to the pub at some point. When his grandmother gets into the car as well, everything is set apart from his mum having forgotten to buy fruit, but they can do that on the way so no problems.
At this point I stop my plot summary and suggest that to say more would be a spoiler such is the way with shorts, any spoiler normally gives it all away since there is little running time in total. However I have no choice; the reason for the day out is revealed when our family, having met up with a group of equally cheerful and "normal" people suddenly transform into a raging mass of hatred when a woman (we understand accused of killing a child or something like that) is led out of a building by the police and put in a van to be transported away. Afterwards they become a normal family again and walk off cheerful having enjoyed their trip. The point is simple but very impacting and it works for two reasons.
Firstly it is interesting because I'd never thought about the people who travel to these "hate mobs" that we always see on the news; I suppose they must make a daytrip and be all normal until the moment of release. The film works because it seems so absurd in the film but then you think well, actually that must be what it is like. Secondly the film is impacting because it is so sudden and vicious we are given no clue as to the trip but then it hits us and it is horrible to watch. While I can understand the strength of feeling, to see such hatred forced on someone accused of a crime is hard to watch. The film was made in 2004 and it is not hard to guess that the woman in the line of fire is meant to represent Maxine Carr. True, maybe not someone you would greet warmly on the street but the planned hatred is difficult to accept. The film makes an important point for, even a few weeks ago in the UK we had a student (who looked very, very little like Carr) attacked, threatened and jeered because the word went out that she was Carr the student has since left the UK and returned to her native country that is hate for you and the film did it very well.
Short, simple and impacting although the impact is greater to the unprepared; worth seeing if you get the chance, although I've probably taken a lot away from it by writing this review.
At this point I stop my plot summary and suggest that to say more would be a spoiler such is the way with shorts, any spoiler normally gives it all away since there is little running time in total. However I have no choice; the reason for the day out is revealed when our family, having met up with a group of equally cheerful and "normal" people suddenly transform into a raging mass of hatred when a woman (we understand accused of killing a child or something like that) is led out of a building by the police and put in a van to be transported away. Afterwards they become a normal family again and walk off cheerful having enjoyed their trip. The point is simple but very impacting and it works for two reasons.
Firstly it is interesting because I'd never thought about the people who travel to these "hate mobs" that we always see on the news; I suppose they must make a daytrip and be all normal until the moment of release. The film works because it seems so absurd in the film but then you think well, actually that must be what it is like. Secondly the film is impacting because it is so sudden and vicious we are given no clue as to the trip but then it hits us and it is horrible to watch. While I can understand the strength of feeling, to see such hatred forced on someone accused of a crime is hard to watch. The film was made in 2004 and it is not hard to guess that the woman in the line of fire is meant to represent Maxine Carr. True, maybe not someone you would greet warmly on the street but the planned hatred is difficult to accept. The film makes an important point for, even a few weeks ago in the UK we had a student (who looked very, very little like Carr) attacked, threatened and jeered because the word went out that she was Carr the student has since left the UK and returned to her native country that is hate for you and the film did it very well.
Short, simple and impacting although the impact is greater to the unprepared; worth seeing if you get the chance, although I've probably taken a lot away from it by writing this review.
