Digging through Amazon Prime for short films has become a hobby of mine. As a short filmmaker (with hopes of one day writing/directing features), it’s interesting to see how directors can take narratives that could be somewhat complex and expansive and boiling it down to the length of a sitcom episode, if not less. My latest find was the Julia Jones award-winning short film Buckets, a rumination on love that certainly left an impression on me.
A young girl (Olivia Nikkanen) finds herself falling in love with a young man (Wolfgang Novogratz) she admires, but things immediately start off kilter... the young man uses the girl continually to do everything for him : tie his shoes, do his homework, finance him, sleep with his friend, take a beating for him, and even literally give her heart for him. As the young girl gives more and more of herself, she realizes how one-sided the relationship is. This is all taken into account when she is graciously offered a second chance with the knowledge of being used in tact, literally pulling away the facade of the relationship and exposing it for the charade that it is.
Buckets is a contemplation on giving yourself up completely for love. The young girl is smitten with her lover, which he instantly realizes, and slowly grooms her from small favors into huge sacrifices. It gets to the point where the young girl’s life literally stops for her admirer... the young man continually ages, from a high school-age peer to a senior on his death bed, while the young girl remains constantly in her school uniform, innocent to the ways of manipulation she is facing. The way that she falls into the rhythm of being completely at her crush’s beck and call is disturbing in a way that usually only psychological thrillers can reach.
The film is one of the most pessimistic looks at love to date, fitting right in with many people’s feelings and thoughts about modern day romance. The humor is extremely dry and dark, almost imperceptible if you are not paying attention. Nothing about this film will make you go out into the world feeling lifted and ready to fall in love, but it will definitely make you reflect on the way that you navigate in regards to the people you put on a pedestal.
One of the elements that truly stands out in this short is the minimalist and unique set design. Most every set is light on realism and heavy on a stage-like presentation, sometimes even cutting from rear projection of outside locations to complete black. The lighting sweeps through the film like a spirit, constantly changing and informing the viewer as to the emotional tone of each scene. The transitions from scene to scene are slick, interesting and highly stylized, be they remnant connections from experience to experience, or even the use of stagehands to shift the decor to whatever is suitable for the scene.
While there are a handful of actors and extras that populate this world, the lion’s share of the performance weight falls in the lap of the leads. Olivia Nikkanen manages to portray herself as completely willing to sacrifice herself for her love without coming off as completely pitiful, keeping an underlying edge at bay throughout her torture. Wolfgang Novogratz brings uncharted levels of narcissism to the table, managing to be totally and completely detached from his lover and completely unlovable in his own right. Of all the smaller roles that populate the film, the standout is Jose Guns Alves, with his strong desire to use his new brass knuckles and old violent tricks on the young woman.
Films like these truly serve as a creative inspiration. Thank god for streaming services like Amazon Prime that provide a possible outlet for up and coming filmmakers to give their films the widest audience possible... I may not have come across Buckets otherwise, and I’m certainly glad that I did.
