A man leaves his home where he works and drives around his local neighbourhood appreciating the finer things in life in Matthew Paris’ short film A Time Of Reflections.
Road movies are like journeys of self-discovery, where characters travel across vast landscapes and face unexpected challenges. As they hit the open road, they break free from their everyday lives and explore the unknown. These films often feature a small group of friends or family who form deeper bonds through their shared experiences. The journey itself becomes a metaphor for life, filled with adventure, freedom, and the chance for personal growth. It’s a chance to reflect on life’s meaning, the power of friendship, and the importance of living in the moment.
Matthew Paris’s 4-minute short film A Time Of Reflections is certainly a road movie, but it doesn’t involve long distances or a group of friends – it focuses solely on Paris himself as he drives slowly around his neighbourhood reflecting on his own life. Filmed using webcams, dash cams, and camera phones, Paris drives slowly down these familiar streets reminiscing of, not necessarily better times, but his past, present, and future; philosophising on how he and all of us spend our days. Are we ambitious enough to seek new things? Motivated enough to change? Have we accomplished everything we set out to?
Using close-ups of his face to capture his eyes as he comes to terms with his life. Is he happy? Is he sad? Is he content? We never find out. Throughout the short, he never lets us into what he is actually thinking, but what we do understand is the symbolism of him driving around his town in one big circle. Starting his journey from home and finishing right back at the same place. Once you are part of the rat race there is no exit, you just keep travelling in circles unless you decide to change paths. Perhaps even make a short film?
Paris’ cinematography is very static and quite basic, but he does manage to catch the different lights and shades to his local area, with the sun glinting off the old houses and the leaves of the trees, and the dust-filled park where the kids play basketball. The biggest problem with the short though is the pace which is slow and dreary when it should be quick and uplifting. However, the tired and lazy tempo can also be seen as a metaphor for the Paris character’s current state of mind.
A Time of Reflections does have many flaws, the majority of them being on the technical side of things, and in order to be taken seriously as a film maker, this is an area Paris will have to work on. But the film can also be seen as an exploration of an everyman’s life journey and while the film’s simple visual style and slow pace may not be for everyone, it allows us all to take some time out and think a little bit more about ourselves.
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