Review: HAPPILY EVER AFTER / Lidia Sheinin (2007)
October 3rd, 2008 by Scott Marks
Happily Ever After (2007)
Written and Directed by Lidia Sheinin
Starring: Kevin J. Kelly, Emily Maya Mills, Lee Ann Kim and Carol Lebeau
Running Time: 4 mins. 15 secs.
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Rating: 
I hate short films, I hate split screen, I hate stories that are told in reverse, and I love films that teach me not to hate. I can’t think of a better reason to buy a ticket to the fifth annual San Diego Women’s FIlm Festival than this four-minute miracle that plays tomorrow at 5 pm at Reading’s Gaslamp Theatre.
The film’s producer Gary Cohen wrote asking if I would review the film. Normally all I get are crap screeners of new releases. (Other than having birthday and Christmas gifts to spare, why would anyone send me copies of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Heroes, Season 2?) I swear to you, I watched this thing five times in a row the day I received it just to see how they pulled the goddamned thing off.
It starts with the left half of the screen in black while on the right, a woman (Emily Maya Mills), photographed in desaaturated tones, lies awake in bed with her back to the television. There is no direct sound, only a pensive piano score by Yann Tiersen. Pan right to reveal a newscaster (Lee Ann Kim) reporting a plane crash and then left to the wall clock that establishes the time as 11:14 pm. It’s at this momet that the left side fades in to reveal a man (Kevin J. Kelly), lit in vibrant, lifelike hues, waking up to greet the dawn.
He shaves while she removes makeup, a backwards reflection of the crash coverage playing behind her. The two halves of their bodies meet at the crease to form one, and I don’t care if it did make me think of Bergman’s Persona because the execution is far too impeccable to be just another film school rip-off. The first concrete evidence provided that these two parallel stories (his forwards, hers backward) are moving in the direction of a mutual breaking off point is when her wine travels from the dinner glass back into the bottle as he fries up a couple of eggs for breakfast.
Director Lidia Sheinin
He drives and we see her face in the rearview. The bottom and top of a pair of escalators perfectly mesh as he departs as she arrives. Before long we are at the gate and the two lovers are giving each other a goodbye kiss. All this, timed to perfection, in a little over four minutes.
Don’t bitch that I gave away the ending, for Happily Ever After is not about story, it’s about form and storytelling and souls literally splintered in two. You have to experience it. I can’t think of many features I’ve seen in the past few years that use the medium quite as economically as this short film. As soon as it’s made available on YouTube, I will gladly post it. Until then, be on the lookout for this remakrable film at a festival near you.
Tags: gary cohen, happily ever after, lee ann kim, lidia sheinin, san diego womens film festival, short filmShare: 
Filed Under Reviews, Theatrical
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