by Redazione Ennesimo Film Festival
During the final night of this year’s Ennesimo Film Festival TV edition, Federico and Mirco announced the names of the students who wrote the best #Ennesime Reviews. Despite the medical emergency that forced our educators to resort to online teaching methods, the kids managed to make the best out of the lessons. Congrats to all and thank you for your love and support also on this occasion!
Here are the reviews awarded.
MUNICIPALITY OF FIORANO MODENESE
First place Elena Mammi, class 3D, Francesca Bursi Middle School, Spezzano
Film: All in good time
All in good time – directed by Bonnie Dempsey, written by Rodney Lee; genre fantasy.
A bottle brought by sea waves. A message. A friendship. This is the story of Mal and Sam (Luke Lally and Dany-Rey Morrison), two kids who get to know each other and become friends, writing letters back and forth thanks to a bottle. The graphics you find at the beginning is dynamic and gripping. It causes curiosity in the audience. The scenography is interesting and peculiar. The shooting is sophisticated and well done. The only sore point: in my opinion, characters were impersonal. Maybe a bigger focus on their personalities would have been preferable, but I recognize that this could be very hard to picture in a short. All things considered, the main characters represent almost perfectly their characterization as children: naive, perky, cheerful and, above all, daydreamers. From this point of view, this factor makes this story very similar to reality. Considering the historical period and the situations pictured, the costumes’ choice is right. The soundtrack closes the circle, because it is not very complex, in accordance with the told vicissitude. Overall, I loved watching this story from the beginning till the end. As I have written before, I liked the beginning – very particular-; the plot – certainly not banal – and the ending, which I will leave you to judge for yourselves. I would recommend this short to anybody looking for some levity and for a story which is
simple and intriguing at the same time.
Rating: 9
Second place Lucia Testi, class 3A, Giacomo Leopardi Middle School, Fiorano
Film: All in good time
On an island, a kid receives a message in a bottle. He gets curious about it and he answers to it without a second thought. He finds out that his new friend is Sam, a girl of his same age. They continue to correspond with each other: they realize that their lives have peculiar similarities, but also big differences. Why?
Bonnie Dempsey has chosen the perfect set to realize the story behind the places. Even costumes are simple, but well designed. Even if there is just a little soundtrack, it fits well to scenes and shots, changing according to the time. To this, must be added background noise, always at the same volume.
As well as the explicit one, I highlighted the meaning of the importance of the communication between past and present: even without time machines, we can “speak” with the past, studying it and remembering it to improve the present and to not repeat the same mistakes. It could be useful also to honor it.
Third place Adam Kherrebi, class 3E, Francesca Bursi Middle School, Spezzano
Film: All in good time
“All In Good Time” is a fantasy short film addressed to children. It’s about the friendship between Malachy, an Irish boy who lives on Ireland’s west coast in 1918 and Sam, an Indian girl who inhabits the very same place in 2018. They can magically communicate with each other through time by exchanging messages and different objects in a bottle that they throw into the sea. Their parents are way too sceptical or caught up in other things to believe them, but they don’t care: they’re having a blast knowing each other’s world (apparently, homework is a sore point for children of all ages and historical eras!). Sam also helps Malachy face the older boy who bullies him with the help of a modern device, but when Sam’s dad tells her they have to move because of some financial difficulties the two kids come up with a plan in order to time travel and solve the problem. The plot revolves (also from a visual point of view) around fun, cultural clash and around the unique friendship between the two protagonists who, despite they come from different historical eras, manage to have a good time together and help each other through difficult times. I got really impressed by this short because of its originality and its intrinsic meaning that makes us think that we can have fun and support each other in spite of our mutual differences.
MUNICIPALITY OF MARANELLO
First place Simone Mazzi, class 3D, Ferrari Middle School, Maranello
Film: Leuki
A sleepy man, a playful dog, and a mysterious giant alien animal. Who is the real monster? A short film, but intense. We hear no soundtrack, but its absence is perfectly offset by the characters’ good gesticulation. The film is set in a sci-fi atmosphere adorned by dark colours, which lend it a menaceous and gloomy air, but overall, by objects able to create funny misunderstandings. That is what “Leuki” is. Directed by Julien Leconte, it can create an addictive climate, with suspense and a bit of humour. Happy ending with plot twist. Nevertheless, the consistency of details and shades represent its biggest flaw, because it does not give the time to the viewer to better comprehend every scene and it leaves unfinished feelings and emotions.
Rating: 8
Second place Gabriele Campus, class 3G, Ferrari Middle School, Maranello
Film: All in good times
Two kids exchange messages in a bottle and become friends despite the distance and then something magical happens. They don’t know what adventure awaits them…
The events unfold on two time levels in the same house by the Irish Sea. The protagonists are one English boy and an Indian girl; they don’t know each other and their mutual differences are due to the different eras they come from. The girl from the modern days is witty and clever, while the little boy is shy and introvert since he lives 100 years away from her. This short film is really engaging and relaxing at the same time thanks to the chill settings and music. The plot is linear but meaningful with a final twist! I didn’t like the minor characters that much because they’re not very powerful.
I think this short is very well done and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to enjoy a top quality film in just a few minutes.
Rating: 10
Third place Angelica Maria Alleruzzo, class 3E, Ferrari Middle School, Maranello
Film: Era yo
Maria is a very tough girl, and she acts out.
She is in the school bathroom when she makes fun of one of her classmates because the other girl had eyed her ex-boyfriend. When Maria is returning home with her mother and brother, she realizes that a wheel is missing from the toy car. Her brother is not the same, he does not eat, he is sad …Why is that? Suddenly, Maria discovers that her brother is in the hospital and her mother, desperate for what happened, tells her to be careful of her bullying behavior because it is difficult to change afterwards.
What will have happened to Maria’s brother? Is he going to survive or not?
Thanks to the catchy soundtracks, this short film deals with a really significant topic in everyday school life. This short film is, in my opinion, a further attempt to invite children to behave in a polite and respectful way towards others. While watching it, I felt scared, lonely and sad for Maria’s brother, however it was one of the best I have seen.
Rating: 9
MUNICIPALITY OF SASSUOLO
First place Angela Ankra, class 3H, Parco Ducale Middle School, Sassuolo
Film: All in good times
Life can be difficult if you face it alone, but with a good friend (even a distant one) days immediately become more thrilling and the sense of loneliness fades away. This story is all about Sam and Malachy and their friendship that, despite the distance, will make them feel close and ready to support each other. This short talks about friendship in a very funny and accurate way, thus reminding us how important it is. Bonny Dempsey made an original and touching movie that brings back distant memories of old friendships from the past that we thought would last forever.
Rating: 10
Second place Vittoria Venera, class 3C, Ruini Middle School, Sassuolo
Film: All in good times
Thanks to a special bottle, the lives of Malachy and Sam change in a surprising way. They exchange letters to get to know each other, they ask each other for advice and for help, they send pictures and special objects. The scenography is breathtaking: a wonderful and isolated landscape in Ireland, with cliffs that overlook the sea. The colours in the short-film change in the shots about Malachy’s life: the colours are blurred, or, as the protagonist also said, they have a “vintage” filter. On the other hand, in Sam’s life they look brighter and more natural. The soundtrack is played by the two protagonists with the flute in some scenes: it’s delicate, ancient and it takes us through this wonderful story, that almost sounds like a dream.
Rating: 10
Third place Chiara e Aurora, class 3A, Leonardo Da Vinci Middle School, Sassuolo
Film: Era yo
“Era yo”. The sense of loneliness, the desire of being understood and the need for belonging are emotions that accompany us at every age, as children, as teenagers and as adults. However, as is often the case in the lives of ordinary people like Marìa, her brother Gabriel and their mother, sometimes we find ourselves facing the fragility of life.
This short is very powerful and goes straight to the heart. The director manages to immerse the public in a new world from various points of view, thus making us face the good and bad sides of our lives as well as the personality features we wouldn’t like to see.
In order to make the right choice and pick a side, sometimes you need to experience pain and get a reality check.
MUNICIPALITY OF SCANDIANO
First place Yasmine Mountarou, class 3A, Boiardo Middle School, Scandiano
Film: The French Toast Recipe
In a city in France, a homeless man and a child become friends. They overcome their loneliness by eating toasts and playing together. An engaging story that teaches us not to be biased.
Second place Linda Ghetti, class 3E, Boiardo Middle School, Scandiano
Film: All in good times
It’s the exciting story of two children living in two different eras – the boy lives in 1918 while the girl lives in 2018. They manage to exchange letters thanks to a magic time-traveling bottle and become good friends.
This short-film inspired me and intrigued me, and I felt as if I was part of the story, too. What caught my attention was not only the use of letters as a way to get to know each other but also the beauty of writing and describing, as well as the joy of expectation and the infinite possibilities of imagination that reading something unknown brings with it. It used to take a long time to get your answer back, while now in the digital world it only takes a few seconds, so the emotion of waiting has disappeared and we take everything for granted, while there is a thousand nuances of mystery and emotions behind an epistolary correspondence. The message I got from this story is to rediscover simplicity and being spontaneous: these are values that we tend to neglect, while the authors of this short-film want to value them showing a friendship between two young kids in order to highlight how simple and spontaneous their actions and their connection are.
Third place Emma Sofia Spessotto, class 3D, Boiardo Middle School, Scandiano
Film: All in good times
One day, the protagonist Malachy found a bottle in the sea and decided to open it. Inside was the letter by a young girl, Sam, who introduced herself and asked for his answer back. Malachy decided to get to know her, that’s how an epistolary friendship between the two started. The two kids started to exchange letters every day, they sent pictures and presents trough the bottle. Sam confessed to Malachy that they could not write each other anymore, because she had to move out because the father’s business went bankrupt. One day, Malachy was in a hurry trying to write a letter to Sam, so he fell and broke the bottle. Without this bottle that works like a door between the present and the past, the two protagonists will not be able to get in touch anymore.
Will this be their last letter? Will they find a solution?
The short-film is very accurate is made of a perfect balance between fantasy and reality. It’s really catching, and it leaves you waiting until the end, creating a good deal of suspense. It is about everyday themes, like family, problems, misunderstandings and it teaches what the value of friendship is, how painful it can be to say goodbye to a friend forever and how to fight for them so that this will never happen. I think it’s a short film made for young people and to teach them these values that are often understated.
Rating: 10-
