Our own mortality is a scary thought. From my own experiences, being not of the younger generation but not of the elder, I have come to know one thing. One thought I think will remain the same even as my other thoughts mature and change. "It all happens so fast." When very young and still considering twenty as old, you believe an eternity will pass before you hit the old person mark. "Old person" being twenty something in your young eyes. Then, magically one day you're there! "Well now." you think. "Twenty isn't old at all. I have an eternity before I reach thirty or forty." Then, there you are. Basically, what we think of as "an eternity" is only the blink of the eye once you reach it. Then, it's to late. I imagine an elder person feels the same way. However, once you factor in the medical issues of aging, things get scary fast. Add to that, the thought of being alone or "going first" and you have the backdrop for "Waiting For You." A short film from Susan Matus, that packs a lot of thoughts into a small fifteen minute window. The story itself is not a new one, playing on old age, family and even memory. It would be interesting one day to finally look back at this film, as an old man, (maybe even one who had a medical incident) and see if the feelings presented within this short film match my thoughts at that time. A great insight could be had if one such person actually wrote their experiences. However, given the nature and scenario of this particular film, I highly doubt that could ever happen. Even so, Susan Matus has penned us a plausible and completely believable account of what "may" be. With that said, "Waiting For You" is as good a story as any other, and turns out, through a surprise ending, being emotionally sadder than most. Or is it? On the other hand, one could argue the ending of this film is beautiful and uplifting. I guess it all depends on the viewers current mindset. For an indie film to allow a person to come to either conclusion... is a feat to be proud of. Visually, "Waiting For You" is done very well. Expertly crafted shots with some great lighting and attention to detail. This indie short doesn't look or sound low budget, and this goes a long way towards pushing forward the narrative. It's all pieced together with a nicely paced edit and some excellent use of flares and lighting. Another element worth mentioning is the acting itself. "Waiting For You" is not a dialog heavy production, and emphasizes expression and motions. The lead characters pull off their roles in a very believable way, adding to the magic of the film. The bottom line is simple. "Waiting For You" is a great little short film that manages to entertain in a way that doesn't "feel" entertaining. A fly on the wall or a glimpse of the mind, however you want to slice it, this was simply a pleasure to watch. I also greatly, greatly appreciated the trick ending... of sorts. It was the perfect conclusion on near every level. This, reader, is a film to follow and connect with. Why not make use of the links and see for yourself? -JT
