A short film: FRIEND

Today I’m not recommending a TV series but a short film that has captured me, not only because of its emotional story and character but also for the lovely story behind the cameras.

It is “Friend” written by Jess Noble, and it tells the short story of a man who is mourning. Jess Noble showed the script to his father, the actor John Noble, who at that time was filming the final season of the TV Series “Fringe”. John, as he has said: “...fell in love with the story, the message, and the character” and showed the script to the rest of the Fringe team. And what happened? Spontaneously there were a few Fringe crew members willing to work in the film! because they were enthusiastic about the script.

So “Friend” was shot in Vancouver during a weekend, taking advantage of a Fringe break and, as far as I know, the entire crew (director of photography, editor, cameramen, music, sound, makeup, etc) was formed by members of Fringe crew or “Fringe family” as they used to call themselves. The cast are the same John Noble and his wife Penny Noble.

I think this is a very beautiful story because in that way the film becomes a result of love. I love the idea of all these people, who have been working together for 5 years, working in this new project with lots of good energy, keeness and excitement, dedicating their spare time to something they believed in. Could it be more adorable?. Jess Noble is very lucky!

This is a little piece of art. An emotional and lovely story with a kind of hidden message, “cooked” with lots of care. Watch it and check it for yourself! 

Follow this link if you can't watch the video correctly: http://bit.ly/10kfQpU

BLACK MIRROR: How far technology can go?

December, 2011 - present

2 seasons

6 episodes

I started watching this series because a friend recommended it to me. It didn’t engage me so much in the first episode, but the following ones are amazing!

This is a british mini-series created by Charlie Brooker. The series has an original format as it consists of stand-alone episodes in which cast, realities and storylines are completely different from each other. It’s like watching individual movies and it becomes easy to watch as you don’t have to worry about remembering details or making connections between episodes. The duration of the episodes is variable too since they go from 41 minutes to 62 minutes.

What is Black Mirror about? All in all, it’s about technological development, its applications and its social repercussions. It transports us to hypothetical realities either in the future or in the present. All these realities are fictional, of course, but they seem so real that you’re gonna believe that we aren’t so far from them. They include topics like: what could social media become?; what if our brain could have the possibility of recording and playing absolutely all our memories?; how far could technology go to ease the suffering after someone’s death?; and more.

Basically the series intends to make us think about our society and our technological possibilities. How is our society built?. Are we technologically addicted?. Is social networking a way to control us?. Will technological development have side effects?. Should we put limits in order to prevent further damage?. Where could these limits be and who should put them?...

Surprising realities, surprising scripts and very very creepy storylines that keep you all the time with a kind of stressful feeling. Are you gonna miss it?

Follow this link if you can't watch the video correctly: http://bit.ly/JlusN4

THE SECRET LIFE OF US (Season 4)

July, 2001 - December, 2005

4 seasons

88 episodes

I started watching this series because I was keeping track of Anna Torv’s works before Fringe. I had read that she had a character during the fourth and last season of “The secret life of us”, so I started watching the last season directly. I was worried about being lost in the storyline because of that, but I had read about the series, and the characters had been changing constantly during the seasons. Only one character remained from the beginning to the end, so I picked up the point quickly.

This is a very succesful Australian series which was very popular in Australia and UK among other countries too. It also attracted the attention because of the inclusion of an aboriginal character, Deborah Mailman in the role of Kelly Lewis, who was the only character that lasted until the end of the series.

“The secret life of us” is about a group of friends between mid 20 and early 30 who lived in the same building block in St. Kilda (suburb of Melbourne). The storyline is based on their relationships, love affairs and their professional career development. The leading role is for Deborah Mailman (as Kelly Lewis) who, at least during the fourth season, is a psychology student. In every episode Kelly analyzes one trait of human beings like: conflict, human attraction, habits, insecurity, communication, character, making decisions and so on. All the actions of the characters go around the episode’s particular topic and Kelly, for a few moments, narrates by a voice-over her psychological review.

There is a very easy and nice storyline which made me have an enjoyable time. The characters are very lovable, everyone with their own problems and affairs. But the most important thing, in my opinion, is that all of them have a clear evolution. At the end, all the characters have faced their fears and have got over it, so they become better.

My favorite character was Nikki, played by Anna Torv. I liked a lot the development of the character and the performance of the great Anna. I also liked the performance of Deborah Mailman (as Kelly) too.

Even though it doesn't have a complicated storyline that makes your mind busy for days (as I like), I was stuck by its likeable characters and by its simple and natural story, so I encourage you to watch it! and of course, please, tell me what you think!

Follow this link if you can't watch the video correctly: http://bit.ly/hDbBLa