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1. SHORT FILMSREVIEW
First Impressions
Director: Amber O’Dell
Certificate: 12A
Short Film, Dark Rom Com
Sibling rivalry: Charlotte High, Beth Izatt
Reviewed by David McKnight
As a young person comes to find who they are
from adolescence to adulthood, they find them-
selves stuck in the middle of bizarre situations
more often than they’d like to be. ‘First Impres-
sions’ captures this unique time perfectly, relying
on the premise of a 17-year-old girl experiencing a
first date which is tarnished by a series of evening-
ruining events, mainly caused by her obnoxious
older sister. Director O’Dell conducts an out-
standing character study, exploring the highs and
lows of young love. The struggles and obstacles of
adolescent love and growing up are a subject that
O’Dell frequently explores. Here, she proves she
can present a uniquely superlative perception of
the conventional narrative of woefully love-struck
young people. The theme of a budding, new rela-
tionship is juxtaposed by the damaged relationship
of the sisters.
O’Dell’s decision to use inexperienced actors in
the film links back to her roots in social realism.
The natural, unpolished performances provide an
entirely realistic set of characters and a narrative
which is expertly achieved through the director’s
impeccable choreography and pacing. Echoing
Katie Jarvis in Fish Tank, Beth Izatt’s portrayal of
the sister brings a fresh energy to the film.
Though she is portrayed as an antagonist to our
main character, she manages to be a character
that can either be completely disliked or admired
and identifiable for the audience. She tends to be
the catalyst for the element of dark comedy in the
film. Her character is well drawn but is ultimately
a narrative device and her purpose is to create
havoc and destroy the evening– and in effect the
blossoming relationship.
The protagonist (Charlotte High) gives a perfor-
mance that is both honest and emotionally intelli-
gent throughout. High’s naturalistic portrayal
makes it easier for us to relate to the character
she constructs—timidly docile at times but feisty
in others. Moving on to the date, a similarly aged,
an almost completely silent character, his role in
the film is less meaningful and more demonstra-
tive. In accordance with the symmetry of the film,
along with the older sister, he is also a device,
produced in order to develop the story of the
main character in greater depth, providing the
protagonist with an incredibly dissatisfying experi-
ence in order to prepare her for her destined
fortune with the plumber. There is an underlying
feeling of sexual tension between the two teenag-
ers, reminiscent of films such as This is England,
for example in the relationship between Smell and
Shaun. Any romantic spark we might detect at the
beginning of their encounter is rapidly doomed to
crash and burn before it has even begun., when
the sister enters the scene,
SYNOPSIS
A house shared by two sisters. One who has taken on the role of housekeeper
and carer for the two and an older sister who provides little more than a few
spiteful remarks. The sisters share an awkward moment in the kitchen. Later
that evening, the boy arrives for the date. They are interrupted by the older
sister. The sister’s presence continues to grow more of a burden and she
makes the couple very uncomfortable. The animosity between the sisters
soon becomes very clear and the girl requests to speak to her sister for a mo-
ment in private. Away from the boy, the girl confronts her sister, accusing her
of trying to sabotage the date. A plumber is soon added to on to the already
disastrous evening. He is here to fix the leaky sink. The younger sister soon
begins to confront the older girl which sparks an argument and ends with the
girl slapping her sister. The plumber quickly enlists the girl to help him repair
the sink which presents a welcome distraction. They share a tender moment.
When the sink is fixed, the plumber tells the girl that there is still time to sal-
vage the evening. He leaves and the girl follows him. Just before she walks out
the door, she tells the sister and boy she is leaving and returns to book to the
boy. The boy and sister are left awkwardly in the wake of the evening and the
boy offers his book of poetry to the sister.
CREDIT
Directed by:
Amber O’Dell
Written by:
Amber O’Dell
Produced by:
Varshini Yogaeswaran
Assistant director:
Christina Gadsby
Director of Photography:
Aimee Lee
Sound:
Kasharna Williams
Editor:
Megan Windmill
Costume Design:
Grace Johannsson
Cinematography:
Chloe Rigby
Production Design:
Christopher Risk
© Rankin Productions, LLC
Production Companies:
A Rankin Production
in association with Sunset
Studios
CAST
Charlotte High
Girl
Beth Izatt
Sister
Aiden Dearlove
Date
James Homan Crust
Plumber
Distributor:
LGV Films
The modernistic style that can be seen in aspects such as the mise en scene, location and
relationships of the film are reminiscent of her directorial debut ‘Off her head’. In contrast
to most short films, O’Dell tends to favour medium shots, rather than the conventional
close and wide shots. Some beautifully framed shots can be seen through the film. The
bright and ‘squeaky clean’ aesthetic qualities of the film are rendered more complex by the
ambiguous tone. Some scenes are incredibly vivid and warm in terms of colour and other
scenes feel somewhat monochrome with cool undertones. Again, this is closely linked to
the style of O’Dell’s first cinematic endeavour in which the tone of the film shifts with a
move from a monochrome hue to bright, lucid colour. A bold stylistic choice of the film
which could have been a potential hazard; however, it has been skilfully and carefully navi-
gated by O’Dell. The sense of awkward comfort is unmistakeably encoded in the intricate
selection of colour and lighting. For example, the lighting and tone during the date scene
communicates the mood of awkwardness and the general feeling that something isn’t quite
right within the combination of these particular characters in the scene. The film’s themes
of relationships and youth are not unexplored territory in film narrative, the feature that
sets this film apart from others is the hybridised genre, the film is built on a foundation of a
classic rom com with a dose of black comedy.
There is a certain symmetry that is evident in both the aesthetic of the film and the rela-
tionships of the characters, this is just one of the many aspects of the style and form of the
film that made it stand out greatly in comparison to other films about relationships. There
is an elaborate, almost perfectionist symmetry between the characters that changes
throughout the film, and melds perfectly with the film’s form. This symmetry starts with
the unresolved and obvious conflict between the sisters at the beginning of the film, which
continues throughout until the entrance of the plumber. His entrance changes the group
dynamic from the uncomfortable threesome to a steady set of couplets, with the protago-
nist siding with this new, neutralising character and the older sister and date frankly aban-
doned. We come full circle and this shift provides the audience with some sense of resolu-
tion, a feeling as though the sister and even the date have been dealt with some form of
karma for the evening and the protagonist is provided with a new start and a new chance
for the titular first impression.
As a whole, the film is a sharp and original perspective of young love in the modern age,
the film subverts the Shakespeare-esque idea of a monogamous be– all end-all and instead
gives the young protagonist not only a chance to escape her car-crash of a date, but the
choice to establish a new identity, outside of her relationship with her sister. We are left
with a satisfying outcome, the timid protagonist taking charge of her life and following her
own path. The film has great potential and is tipped to be very successful on the short film
festival circuit.
63 | General Release | Issue 36 April 2017