Telling someone that you’re in love with them can be difficult, especially when the other person is your best friend. We look at the short film Dawn by director Michael Kearney.
Made on a budget of just £150, Michael Kearney’s six-minute effort is so well done, that you’d be mistaken for thinking that both he and his team are telling a few porkies and that they had more money at their disposal. Dawn takes a look at young love and the doubts that plague our minds that sometimes prevent us from just grabbing hold of the person they so want and need, and just laying all out on the line.
Eve is sitting in her bedroom at night, texting her friend Lucy. Lucy, via a text, tells Eve to “go for it”. It’s obvious that Eve has taken a fancy to someone, but is scared of telling them. It is then revealed that it is actually Lucy who she has fallen in love with and she takes that big scary jump by telling her so.
We are then transported to a flashback of the two girls in Lucy’s bedroom, and to Lucy looking at the universe in all its glory as she talks to herself as if she is talking to the girl she has fallen in love with.
There are a few visual effects in Dawn, and they are really well done. The lights of the universe cast an ethereal and colourful glow over Eve as she looks beyond the stars; it really is a thing of beauty. We also get to see the aforementioned text messages, popping up in little colourful boxes on the screen beside a close-up of Eve.
After opening up to Lucy, both Eve and we as a collective audience wait for a reply. Will Lucy shy away, or does she also feel the same? It’s an answer we want, no need.
Both Emma Coles and Kaylah Copeland do very well with what little time they have as both Eve and Lucy. Michael Kearney uses all six minutes afforded to him wisely too, making Dawn an interesting, imaginative, and thought-provoking short film.
