Now Showing NZ

IMDb Rating: 7.4/10

8 min | Short | Drama | 2019

Metacritic:

Rotten Tomatoes Rating:

Director: David M. Helman

Writer: Nathaniel David Shriver

Stars: Steven Yeun, Alanna Masterson

Movie Tagline:

Synopsis: ‘Naysayer’ follows a young father cut off from his son who takes matters into his own hands.

You can watch this Omeleto Short Film here.

First appearances are exactly that, first appearances. What you see on the surface isn’t necessarily what you think it is. This short film focuses on a father who is estranged from his wife or girlfriend and their child. The images we see at the very beginning through the broken phone are a huge clue to who this man is. Ian is blocked from accessing his partner’s social media account. So we can put some pieces together that Ian is being pushed out of the life of his partner and son.

But why? That’s the million-dollar question.

The conversation between Ian and his partner is heated, and Ian looks very distressed. So we understand from this emotional situation that something isn’t right and Ian is trying to somehow gain control.

A few more minutes in and we can tell that Ian’s partner is trying to understand what’s going on, almost as if Ian is talking in riddles to her. And that’s another big clue about what’s happening.

We can finally put the pieces together at the very end of an intense and saddening eight minutes.

The Positives

Steven Yeun is amazing. Even for only eight minutes on-screen, his distress, nervousness and desperation are so genuine, you almost feel obliged to reach out and help him. That’s great acting.

The Negatives

It’s cruel to make something so engrossing only eight minutes long!

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