Ronny & I (2013)
I’ve seen a number of short films in the past year, but I have to say I think this one is in my top 5. The short synopsis is: “A young man comes to terms with his sexuality and his hidden love for his best friend.”
Two best friends go away for the weekend, but it turns out one of them has feelings for the other. Although there is some initial awkwardness, the scene turns into something unexpected. The film explores labels and how they do or don’t define us. It also looks at friendship, what that means, and maybe even what that becomes.
The ending leaves the viewer to interpret what happens next. Either the guy who is the object of affection is the best friend ever, or perhaps he has feelings for his friend in return. Really it doesn’t matter, because he shows that he loves his friend. And that’s really the point I think.
This short is filmed in the first person and appears to be all shot on a camera phone. I sometimes find this distracting, but in this case it was well used. I’ve seen another short film (Mi Amigo Jaime) that had the same theme as this one. It was good, but this one drives a more emotional connection to both of the characters. For a short film the characters have remarkable depth, and it works a level of complexity that some feature films are missing.
The writer/director is Guy Shalem – I’ll have to check out some of his other work.
It’s worth your 20 minutes to watch. I saw it here on YouTube.
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