Loved the message it was trying to get across; and it's not an exaggeration like some say-this does happen on a daily basis unfortunately and specifics to minorities. I was hoping for a happy ending, like when they actually talked and understood each other but let's be honest that's usually not how life goes and that's probably the point of the movie.
155 Reviews
A solid addition to the Best Live Action Short Film Category
patronusquill9 April 2021
Let me tell you this, this short film is very difficult to watch at times, cause you can't help from feeling anxious, angry and sad all at the same time. Even if the story is full of simplicity in itself, there are some impressive symbols, such as the blood with the shape of Africa, or the reference to George Floyd. Even if you didn't like the way it ended, or how it became a Groundhog-Day-like film, we must not forget the names of the REAL people who died without deserving to. The ending is so real and so important that it deserves a standing ovation, maybe not because of the film, but because of those people who will never come back and deserve that justice be done.
Outstanding
Into-de-void10 April 2021
Oscar-worthy? Really???
truthspeaker-1782512 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A film about the karma of what happens when you leave your dog home alone overnight, this remake of 'Groundhog Day' forgoes much of the original's humour.
Apparently the time of nuance, metaphor and the principle of "show, don't tell" in film has passed. Now writers can just stick sermons in the mouths of their characters and get nominated for an Oscar! Yayyy!
The message of this 34-minute short is a worthy one but was understood within the first 5 minutes. But, in case you missed it, the main protagonist feels the need to explain it out loud at around the 25-minute mark.
Well filmed and fair acting, but a screenplay, dialogue and image system that is as subtle as a breeze block in the face.
Apparently the time of nuance, metaphor and the principle of "show, don't tell" in film has passed. Now writers can just stick sermons in the mouths of their characters and get nominated for an Oscar! Yayyy!
The message of this 34-minute short is a worthy one but was understood within the first 5 minutes. But, in case you missed it, the main protagonist feels the need to explain it out loud at around the 25-minute mark.
Well filmed and fair acting, but a screenplay, dialogue and image system that is as subtle as a breeze block in the face.
Solid short.
ayojerkinskarega10 April 2021
Production: Solid editing. Realistic enough costume design to make the characters believable. As far as the script, good premise, pretty good execution, but it could have been better. 6/10.
On screen: Solid acting from the cast; most of it was believable. Solid cinematography, sometimes certain scenes were a bit out of focus. Good use of mise-en-scene to further the film's message. 7/10.
Content/Impact: The message of hope is a good message that is needed to get through these trying times of police brutality. Also, this film shows the resiliency of black people. No matter what happens to us and what continues to happen to us, We Shall Overcome. Additionally, for me, It's getting more and more difficult to see all of these films about police brutality in a time where it seems like every day black and brown people are getting killed by police. Nevertheless, this imagery needs to be seen over and over again until change happens. 10/10.
Overall: Good short film about police brutality. 7.6/10.
On screen: Solid acting from the cast; most of it was believable. Solid cinematography, sometimes certain scenes were a bit out of focus. Good use of mise-en-scene to further the film's message. 7/10.
Content/Impact: The message of hope is a good message that is needed to get through these trying times of police brutality. Also, this film shows the resiliency of black people. No matter what happens to us and what continues to happen to us, We Shall Overcome. Additionally, for me, It's getting more and more difficult to see all of these films about police brutality in a time where it seems like every day black and brown people are getting killed by police. Nevertheless, this imagery needs to be seen over and over again until change happens. 10/10.
Overall: Good short film about police brutality. 7.6/10.
It lost a point being so ham-handed. ***Mild spoilers***, the protagonist dies alot.
vakesh18 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I like the overall concept and the story was told well. That gets a 7. However, the cartoonish villainy of the white antagonist and the black protagonist dying in a pool of blood in the shape of Africa gets a -1 for poor/ ham-handed symbolism.
Great short movie
julietamussi25 April 2021
Wow I'm shocked with the amount of bad comments about this movie. It's simple, straight forward and it shows what happens in America when you're a black person. Don't give me that shallow argument of "not all white cops are like that". This is not what is being discussed. We are discussing systemic racism which means that we have systems and institutions that produce racially disparate outcomes, regardless of the intentions of the people who work within them.
Cycle of Violence
Cineanalyst11 April 2021
"Two Distant Strangers" inherently has two strikes against it. One, that it's yet another time-loop movie, on the heels of a past year alone that has included "Palm Springs" (2020), "The Map of Tiny Perfect Things" and "Boss Level" (both 2021). I'm a fan of the subgenre, and I realize this pandemic year has knocked us for a loop, so to speak, but it's a lot. This isn't even the only time-travel Netflix release to concern preventing a racially-charged police killing of a black man, preceded as it is by "See You Yesterday" (2019)--albeit that one was more "Back to the Future" (1985) to this one's "Groundhog Day" (1993). Second, as much as I find the time-loop premise an aesthetically and cinematically-intriguing notion, I tend to consider the social-problem or message movie the opposite--an ethical proposition that is at worst patronizing and often at least undermines aesthetic qualities regardless of whether they abide by one's own views (and I really don't care whether it does so for the troll reviewers and downvoters of any movie that doesn't comport with their issues on race and gender that occupy much of IMDb these days). This Academy Award nominated short doesn't reinvent the wheel on any of this, but it's all handled surprisingly and mercifully well.
Just when I was afraid we were going to get the "solution" to the social problem, there's a rather inexplicable twist that not only works well to subvert simplistic claims of dialogue being the fixer of all dilemmas, but also to the likewise dependency on resolution in time-loop and movies in general. Solve the puzzle, get the girl, move on to tomorrow. Clever, then, that this one begins with waking up after a casual sex hook-up that may and may very well not lead to further romantic entanglement. Also remarkable is that the police killings have no other rhyme or reason to them, no unique or extenuating circumstances. Carter James dies in a variety of ways, whether recalling the deaths of Eric Garner or George Floyd by choke hold or pinned under a knee until he can't breath, or Breonna Taylor from such police raids, including of the wrong residences (by the way, John Oliver did a good segment on that topic, and it's not surprising that writer and co-director Travon Free likewise comes from a background in writing for other news satire series), and a pool of blood after one shooting here even symbolically (and, reportedly, was unintentional) takes the shape of Africa.
Besides being part of the SayHerName or SayTheirName campaign, which we see an indication of in a helicopter shot of atop one building (and minus that I swear I saw the same sort of shot of maybe the same New York street in the last Netflix release I saw, "The Stand In" (2020/2021)) even before the picture concludes by listing some of the names of those who died at the hands of law enforcement, the tragic irony of this time loop is that by the police murdering Carter, he's in a way been immortalized, but cinematically instead of the real-life sort of martyrdom. One could also see the time loop here as representing a more generalized and shared racial trauma to the racial violence perpetrated against African Americans--that actually Carter is just having a nightmare--that the brutal death of one person affects others and the wider society. It's the very thing we also saw this past year after the death of George Floyd and as this movie is released on Netflix amidst the murder and manslaughter trial for that of ex-officer Derek Chauvin. "Two Distant Strangers," then, is a rare movie where the aesthetics and ethics complement each other. Harmony amidst a realist picture that is anything but.
Just when I was afraid we were going to get the "solution" to the social problem, there's a rather inexplicable twist that not only works well to subvert simplistic claims of dialogue being the fixer of all dilemmas, but also to the likewise dependency on resolution in time-loop and movies in general. Solve the puzzle, get the girl, move on to tomorrow. Clever, then, that this one begins with waking up after a casual sex hook-up that may and may very well not lead to further romantic entanglement. Also remarkable is that the police killings have no other rhyme or reason to them, no unique or extenuating circumstances. Carter James dies in a variety of ways, whether recalling the deaths of Eric Garner or George Floyd by choke hold or pinned under a knee until he can't breath, or Breonna Taylor from such police raids, including of the wrong residences (by the way, John Oliver did a good segment on that topic, and it's not surprising that writer and co-director Travon Free likewise comes from a background in writing for other news satire series), and a pool of blood after one shooting here even symbolically (and, reportedly, was unintentional) takes the shape of Africa.
Besides being part of the SayHerName or SayTheirName campaign, which we see an indication of in a helicopter shot of atop one building (and minus that I swear I saw the same sort of shot of maybe the same New York street in the last Netflix release I saw, "The Stand In" (2020/2021)) even before the picture concludes by listing some of the names of those who died at the hands of law enforcement, the tragic irony of this time loop is that by the police murdering Carter, he's in a way been immortalized, but cinematically instead of the real-life sort of martyrdom. One could also see the time loop here as representing a more generalized and shared racial trauma to the racial violence perpetrated against African Americans--that actually Carter is just having a nightmare--that the brutal death of one person affects others and the wider society. It's the very thing we also saw this past year after the death of George Floyd and as this movie is released on Netflix amidst the murder and manslaughter trial for that of ex-officer Derek Chauvin. "Two Distant Strangers," then, is a rare movie where the aesthetics and ethics complement each other. Harmony amidst a realist picture that is anything but.
I've read enough comments.
shcoleman27 April 2021
Since when did this short film of artist expression suggest it had an answer for you? At what point did this become about you and your viewpoint? Did you make a short film about your perspective? If not, give it a shot. See how it goes. Try to tell us a story and see how we accept it. Or maybe you can watch us take it personally and start ripping it to shreds for not being something else instead.
If you haven't seen this short yet, by all means, please understand that it's not about you. It's a short about a black man in a time loop with a white cop from the black man's perspective. At no point will you see the words, "based on a true story", so I'd suggest you take the script lightly.
To those on here who justified the killing of human beings by asking "how" they walked down the street or "why" they were out so late at night, you obviously don't know the value of a human life. Either that or you do understand it and just don't think black people's lives are worth much. I guess they lose their worth when they stay out past 1am or spell their name different from yours.
Man, this comment section got me so angry! Oh yeah, and I almost forgot to mention. I'm white. And if you're reading this as a white person, and you understand the value of a human being regardless of their skin tone, don't stay silent when you hear stupid people like these start to talk. Just shut that sh** down quick.
Bottom line...if someone is not threatening your life then you have no right to kill them. At no point should resisting arrest or a traffic violation result in death. Never. No no nope and never. They created something called THE LAW to help with those types of appropriate punishments.
If you haven't seen this short yet, by all means, please understand that it's not about you. It's a short about a black man in a time loop with a white cop from the black man's perspective. At no point will you see the words, "based on a true story", so I'd suggest you take the script lightly.
To those on here who justified the killing of human beings by asking "how" they walked down the street or "why" they were out so late at night, you obviously don't know the value of a human life. Either that or you do understand it and just don't think black people's lives are worth much. I guess they lose their worth when they stay out past 1am or spell their name different from yours.
Man, this comment section got me so angry! Oh yeah, and I almost forgot to mention. I'm white. And if you're reading this as a white person, and you understand the value of a human being regardless of their skin tone, don't stay silent when you hear stupid people like these start to talk. Just shut that sh** down quick.
Bottom line...if someone is not threatening your life then you have no right to kill them. At no point should resisting arrest or a traffic violation result in death. Never. No no nope and never. They created something called THE LAW to help with those types of appropriate punishments.
Why? What's the point?
zeemaza3 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The theme of waking up the same day over and over has been done too many times. At least with Edge Of Tomorrow they give you a perfect explanation as to why it's happening. In this short movie, like Groundhog Day and Russian Doll, it doesn't.
So what purpose does it serve? It's just a piece of negative propaganda tackling police brutality and race. Nothing new is given to us; however it is short enough to remain entertaining.
Watch it if you have nothing better to do.
So what purpose does it serve? It's just a piece of negative propaganda tackling police brutality and race. Nothing new is given to us; however it is short enough to remain entertaining.
Watch it if you have nothing better to do.
A plagiarized version of that video. But worse.
Criticalstaff17 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I initially gave this movie a 4/10 and wrote a review that argued that while the premise of the short was interesting; the execution of it was brought down by the caricatural depiction of the issue. It felt like the slogan All Cops Are Bastard made into a movie, but without nuance. And without the understanding of how bad and reductive it is to boil down a rather intricate issue into a four word slogan.
Then I read about and subsequently watched Groundhog Day For A Black Man. It is an excellent four minutes video, that is well made, to the point and most importantly funny and creative. It had the social commentary, the political message, yet, it focuses on the absurdity of the situation. It is peak comedy, as it takes a regular issue and exaggerates and extrapolates it to the extreme over the top ridicule. And, in that deformed reality where nothing makes sense anymore it finds the essence of the issue, it finds some sort of truth. It is fun, it is clever and it gets its point across elegantly.
This Two Distant Strangers is a plagiarized version of that video. But worse.
It is worse in every aspect. The only good addition is the scene where Carter decides not to venture outside, yet he still gets killed when the cops barge in the wrong appartement. That was clever and well extablished. The rest of it was blunt and poorly though-out.
It follows a time-loop structure, but why really? There is no character growth or different outcomes. There is no added texture with each iteration. There are no new angles or inputs throughout the short. The protagonist does not really try different strategies or various scenarios. This short is just a repetitive exercise with the outcome being the same whatever the circumstances. It uses the time-loop as a figurative hell, to symbolise that with every innocent bystander that gets murdered, black people re-live the same event over and over. I do not think that it is that clever or powerful. Black-ish already showed it and expressed it way better. I think this is an abuse of the time-loop trope and it is insulting how blunt and condescending this short is.
Moreover, this short, in a typical viral clickbait website fashion, exhibits an over-emphasis on violence, which I personally find disturbing. Not the violence itself, but the fetishization of it. The gruesomeness of the scenes, the repetitiveness, are intended to oversaturate you sense and provoke disgust. But, the length to which they do it point to an unhealthy fascination that feels manipulative more than anything else. At one moment, someone suggests that the antagonists should talk to each other. They try, but it immediately reverts to brutal violence anyway. It would be sick if it would not be comically absurd.
You end up with a short that is very superficial, and has nothing to offer but a bitter and cynical worldview. If you put aside the style and the message, the difference with Groundhog Day For A Black Man and why it is superior to this, is that it offered redemption. It had empathy. This short is devoid of it.
Then I read about and subsequently watched Groundhog Day For A Black Man. It is an excellent four minutes video, that is well made, to the point and most importantly funny and creative. It had the social commentary, the political message, yet, it focuses on the absurdity of the situation. It is peak comedy, as it takes a regular issue and exaggerates and extrapolates it to the extreme over the top ridicule. And, in that deformed reality where nothing makes sense anymore it finds the essence of the issue, it finds some sort of truth. It is fun, it is clever and it gets its point across elegantly.
This Two Distant Strangers is a plagiarized version of that video. But worse.
It is worse in every aspect. The only good addition is the scene where Carter decides not to venture outside, yet he still gets killed when the cops barge in the wrong appartement. That was clever and well extablished. The rest of it was blunt and poorly though-out.
It follows a time-loop structure, but why really? There is no character growth or different outcomes. There is no added texture with each iteration. There are no new angles or inputs throughout the short. The protagonist does not really try different strategies or various scenarios. This short is just a repetitive exercise with the outcome being the same whatever the circumstances. It uses the time-loop as a figurative hell, to symbolise that with every innocent bystander that gets murdered, black people re-live the same event over and over. I do not think that it is that clever or powerful. Black-ish already showed it and expressed it way better. I think this is an abuse of the time-loop trope and it is insulting how blunt and condescending this short is.
Moreover, this short, in a typical viral clickbait website fashion, exhibits an over-emphasis on violence, which I personally find disturbing. Not the violence itself, but the fetishization of it. The gruesomeness of the scenes, the repetitiveness, are intended to oversaturate you sense and provoke disgust. But, the length to which they do it point to an unhealthy fascination that feels manipulative more than anything else. At one moment, someone suggests that the antagonists should talk to each other. They try, but it immediately reverts to brutal violence anyway. It would be sick if it would not be comically absurd.
You end up with a short that is very superficial, and has nothing to offer but a bitter and cynical worldview. If you put aside the style and the message, the difference with Groundhog Day For A Black Man and why it is superior to this, is that it offered redemption. It had empathy. This short is devoid of it.
Good but..
dork-1282411 April 2021
Day after day
cliftonofun22 May 2021
This short film is a little like a remix or a cover - familiar ingredients (Time loops? Again?) but new result. There were some moments when the dialogue tried a bit hard, and it was certainly a tough watch...but it did work overall. We are all living the same story over and over, whether we realize it or not. Unfortunately.
Oscar to this?
ue-5366014 May 2021
The oscars awards should be about quality film making not just about a 'theme'. Yes it is current, yes the main character is likeable, yes the issue is important ( we really don't need this little basic film to remind us) but this is not quality film making. The script is simplistic, naive and not original. Acting is terrible, direction, artistic production and cinematography are non existing and very amateur like. At times it all sound a bit dumb to me- trying to get a message across to dumb people who still don't get it. It is just a simplistic low budget uninteresting little film with a 'current' important political problematic and a likeable character. Thankfully it's only 30 mins long.
Two Distant Strangers
forthemovies25 January 2022
A man stuck in a time loop tries to go home to his dog but ends up repeatedly getting killed by the same officer.
Two Distant Strangers is a well-produced short film directed by Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe. The short film was well written with good performances from Joey badass and Andrew Howard. On-screen, both had good chemistry that enhanced the tone of the film. The film is a work of art illustrating how an African American feels living in America and the struggle to live an ordinary life with the worries of having a conflict with a police officer.
A well-written short film with good camera work depicting a real-life scenario for an African American man living in America. The film is unrelatable to me, but I appreciate the message the film portrays.
Two Distant Strangers is a well-produced short film directed by Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe. The short film was well written with good performances from Joey badass and Andrew Howard. On-screen, both had good chemistry that enhanced the tone of the film. The film is a work of art illustrating how an African American feels living in America and the struggle to live an ordinary life with the worries of having a conflict with a police officer.
A well-written short film with good camera work depicting a real-life scenario for an African American man living in America. The film is unrelatable to me, but I appreciate the message the film portrays.
Superb!! A must watch!!
jkt200614 April 2021
With George Floyd as the catalyst and background, this brilliant time loop short brings to forefront an amazing story of this young black guy who keeps facing the wrath of a white cop and for no apparent reason...It's like George Floyd happening over and over...but for black folks, on a daily basis! Won't spoil it for you just watch it!! This one deserves an award for the concept story and execution.
Damn...
anna-joellestadman9 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The film tells the story of a man who wakes up one day and is killed by a police officer. He then has to relive that same day again and again. The only reason for getting killed is the colour of his skin. This is Groundhog Day for grown-ups, full of symbolism and meaning. It is beautifully shot and I can totally see why it is nominated for an Oscar. Well worth my time.
Firm message and solid production
freidap28 April 2021
Overall, I liked it. Joey Bada$$ did a superb job and I believe he has a big acting career ahead of him if he wants it.
I was hoping the story would be less simple, but then again subtle messaging has not done much for the black community in the past. This simplicity makes it good for almost anyone to watch and (hopefully) empathize with the morals.
I agree that the police officer was kind of unrealistic - not because his words, actions, or intentions were unrealistic, but because the delivery and timing of these could have been adjusted for a greater, realistic effect.
In the end, this short film will certainly be worth your time.
I was hoping the story would be less simple, but then again subtle messaging has not done much for the black community in the past. This simplicity makes it good for almost anyone to watch and (hopefully) empathize with the morals.
I agree that the police officer was kind of unrealistic - not because his words, actions, or intentions were unrealistic, but because the delivery and timing of these could have been adjusted for a greater, realistic effect.
In the end, this short film will certainly be worth your time.
Eye-opening
rkay92112 April 2021
I've watched this short and read the comments too.
I understand that there's two sides to every story, but if you're basing this off the belief that it's trying to recreate the awful situation that hit the news or it's one-sided storytelling, then I think you missed the point.
I understand that there's two sides to every story, but if you're basing this off the belief that it's trying to recreate the awful situation that hit the news or it's one-sided storytelling, then I think you missed the point.
Good expression
ks-6050026 April 2021
Interesting premise, but politically motivated trash
kaideneve18 April 2021
Saw the Oscar nomination badge on Netflix and figured it was worth a watch based on that. Could already tell by the preview that it was going to be another "bad white cop" trope, but thought it might actually have some nuance and depth, so I soldiered on. I don't know what I expected, but this is essentially a one-dimensional and incredibly poorly written propaganda piece. Why can't any show or film these days address race relations in a realistic and empathetic manner? These movies strongly influence young minds with a message that every cop is out to kill black people. It's a sad, pathetic narrative that is incredibly counterproductive, and this short is a prime example.
American History X came out over 20 years ago and blows every "woke" film these days out of the water in terms of really showing the visceral, horrifying results of racism. Cartoonish depictions like this short only serve to diminish the cause. Stop releasing politically motivated garbage like this, it does nothing to empower people of color and instead promotes a philosophy of perpetual victimhood.
And most importantly, "Oscar nominated?" Really? If the average person hasn't already lost most faith in award shows, this is a prime example of how far they've fallen. If it wasn't for the polished production value (which is why it gets 2 instead of 1 stars), I would think this was a high school production.
Police accountability is a problem we need to address, but please stop with this nonsense. It's doing more harm than good.
American History X came out over 20 years ago and blows every "woke" film these days out of the water in terms of really showing the visceral, horrifying results of racism. Cartoonish depictions like this short only serve to diminish the cause. Stop releasing politically motivated garbage like this, it does nothing to empower people of color and instead promotes a philosophy of perpetual victimhood.
And most importantly, "Oscar nominated?" Really? If the average person hasn't already lost most faith in award shows, this is a prime example of how far they've fallen. If it wasn't for the polished production value (which is why it gets 2 instead of 1 stars), I would think this was a high school production.
Police accountability is a problem we need to address, but please stop with this nonsense. It's doing more harm than good.
BRILLIANT!!
snperera13 April 2021
This short film sums up what the black community have been trying to say for years to the police in America. It is heartbreaking and I hate that this happens in America. So poignant and intelligent. BLACK LIVES WILL ALWAYS MATTER!!!
I appreciate the message...
moyolindy19 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I appreciate the message and have empathy for the cause, but this was not a great movie.
I think the part that caught me the most was the final shooting, where you may have noticed his blood pattern is in the shape of the African continent.
Whichever way you look at it however, we should indeed ALL remember the names of those individuals named at the end.
I think the part that caught me the most was the final shooting, where you may have noticed his blood pattern is in the shape of the African continent.
Whichever way you look at it however, we should indeed ALL remember the names of those individuals named at the end.
A good message doesn't mean a good film
slp-6500811 April 2021
Yes the film is highlighting an important issue and the intention was good, but the actual delivery is appalling.
Very unnatural dialogue and awful acting made it very cringe-worthy.
This film only seems to be scoring well for the intention and not the outcome - definitely not Oscar worthy.
Very unnatural dialogue and awful acting made it very cringe-worthy.
This film only seems to be scoring well for the intention and not the outcome - definitely not Oscar worthy.
important message
fakeharuka-0324421 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I liked how the message of the film was conveyed through the usage of the time loop. I don't think the film just wanted to show two sides, but rather the reality that many black people are facing everyday. They point out how the issue isn't in how the black guy behaves. He dies everytime because of actions motivated by racism.
However the last actions of the cop seemend a little cartoonish for such a real isssue. It clashed with the otherwise realistic situations. I would have prefered a different ending that is more memorable and nuanced. For example, at one point in the short, he is able to convince the cop to let him go but a few moments later the same cop chases two other boys. Had the cop shot one of them instead of the main character, it would have shown that it affects many people and even if your are not the victim, someone else is. Another good ending I can think of would be if he had escaped that one cop, only to be shot by another one. This would be a good representation of racism as a systematic issue rather than just of one bad person.
After reading many reviews of the film, I'm shocked to see people only thinking about black people represented as 'good' and white people as 'bad' instead of the larger issue of police brutality especially against black people.
However the last actions of the cop seemend a little cartoonish for such a real isssue. It clashed with the otherwise realistic situations. I would have prefered a different ending that is more memorable and nuanced. For example, at one point in the short, he is able to convince the cop to let him go but a few moments later the same cop chases two other boys. Had the cop shot one of them instead of the main character, it would have shown that it affects many people and even if your are not the victim, someone else is. Another good ending I can think of would be if he had escaped that one cop, only to be shot by another one. This would be a good representation of racism as a systematic issue rather than just of one bad person.
After reading many reviews of the film, I'm shocked to see people only thinking about black people represented as 'good' and white people as 'bad' instead of the larger issue of police brutality especially against black people.
See also
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