Cassette tapes, letter writing, camcorders and polaroid-snapped trips round Europe, there's something wonderfully old-fashioned about Brett's subject matter; even Bill Shakespeare would've been proud of the significance of letters in this touching and whimsical short documentary from this hugely promising director.
The coming of age subject matter is universal: we've all loved and lost that first real relationship, the holiday romance we can't shake off when we get home. Brett has obviously been listening to Michael Moore's maxim that documentary filmmakers need to be more entertaining and his visual style is so comforting and easy on the eye, his use of DIY doodles, archive and rostrum montages is gorgeous.
Sometimes with Brett's work I want to see him digging a little deeper and maybe tackling some slightly more visceral issues, but then again, we may have enough of those sorts of documentaries already; what's more is Brett's is a young, male voice that so many young men could benefit from hearing: when domestic abuse among teenagers is so rife, some young men would do well to follow Brett's example- when it's over, accept it and try to enjoy the value of platonic relationships with women. It takes a real man to be in touch with and share his emotions with the world, Brett is one and he's a fabulously promising filmmaker to boot. You need to see this genuinely touching and delicately formed film. I'm off to dig out old some old photos and letters, a previous romance, now lost, but every human relationship we experience makes us who we are..
The coming of age subject matter is universal: we've all loved and lost that first real relationship, the holiday romance we can't shake off when we get home. Brett has obviously been listening to Michael Moore's maxim that documentary filmmakers need to be more entertaining and his visual style is so comforting and easy on the eye, his use of DIY doodles, archive and rostrum montages is gorgeous.
Sometimes with Brett's work I want to see him digging a little deeper and maybe tackling some slightly more visceral issues, but then again, we may have enough of those sorts of documentaries already; what's more is Brett's is a young, male voice that so many young men could benefit from hearing: when domestic abuse among teenagers is so rife, some young men would do well to follow Brett's example- when it's over, accept it and try to enjoy the value of platonic relationships with women. It takes a real man to be in touch with and share his emotions with the world, Brett is one and he's a fabulously promising filmmaker to boot. You need to see this genuinely touching and delicately formed film. I'm off to dig out old some old photos and letters, a previous romance, now lost, but every human relationship we experience makes us who we are..
