Small Reactions

There Is A Light (Video)

Sofaburn Records

This video of a funeral going awry wasn’t made the way films usually are these days: one roll of Super 8 film, no rewind, edits, or redo, chronological narrative, one take only. You wouldn’t think it would work, but not only did it, it placed in the Top 25 of the London Straight 8 film contest.

Small Reactions are from Atlanta, and the cast of this film, all artists and actors, are too. Rosso is the main character. The deceased was his mentor. So he shows up drunk, ticks of the other people at the funeral, even the priest officiating. Everyone comes apart until the priest uses his powers and they all fall down, perhaps dead themselves, but the last scene shows the priest and Rosso sharing a joint. To put a fine point on things, a woman takes selfies with everyone there, including the dead.

Small Reactions guitarist Ross Politi wrote the screenplay, and I bet it was fun to write. Craig Whitehorne, who plays the priest, served as something of a director. Put the two together and you get a great film. The acting is solid, the song is a wonderful soundtrack, and if you happen across this film, do yourself a favor and watch it. You won’t regret it, and maybe you’ll want to make or write one too.

Andrea Weiss