Congratulations
From the Archives
•
Drama, Short Films, 19-Jan-2023
On an afternoon at a skatepark, a 17-year-old girl makes an effort to fit in with her edgier friends while also tending to her shaky relationship with her younger sister. Emma Hall-Martin directs “Daughter of Wands,” a coming-of-age story set in the suburbs about teen pressures and the complexities of sisterhood. Bickering throughout, Cass and her younger teenage sister, Ruby, make their way to the park. Cass is going to meet with two of her alleged friends and Ruby is going to a meet-up with a boy. Ripped jeans, white Air Force Ones, and spiked Big Gulps occupy the scene. While Cass tries to keep up with the banter, she’s also occupied making sure her little sister isn’t around. All attention shifts, however, when the girls notice that Ruby’s meeting with a boy they all know. In an effort to gain some approval, Cass heads to the gas station to get a vape and a slurpee, but returns to less than pleasant reactions, followed by the return of her sister. In a film with plenty of passive, sometimes more aggressive, spats between teenagers, Hall-Martin’s writing offers an earnest look at efforts to maintain friends and the bonds that may naturally occur at unexpected times. We previously featured Hall-Martin last year with "Congratulations." -JM. Director: Emma Hall-Martin, Cast: Naomi Nelson, Makenna Weyburne, Elizabeth Meckler, Mayelah Barrera, DP: Daniel Christopher-Blackwell, Editor: Andrei Zakow, Producers: Clarissa Blau, AC Smallwood, Costume Designer: Rowen Hall.
Congratulations: https://www.nobudge.com/videos/congratulations
Up Next in From the Archives
-
6FT.
A surreal fever-dream about the isolation and suffocation of the quarantine experience. “6FT.,” directed by Francesca Pazniokas, is a visually striking experimental film brimming with colorful textures and vivid soundscapes. Stuck at home for days on end, a figure goes about their life constricte...
-
DX350
A young woman is meeting her friend for a movie when a voice from another place tries to reach her. Pat Mooney directs “DX350,” a silvery, 16mm slice-of-life with lowkey bursts of sci-fi. Elena descends a shopping mall escalator. Her iPod classic and wired headset are relics threatening the moder...