By Megan Williams.

Snare was one of the short films that was shown at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.

Set in a Chinese restaurant in 1997, a young son and his dad meet up to reconnect and realize that they desperately need something from each other in order to pursue their dreams.

This film uses its short running time to give its audience an important message: no matter how old you are, you are allowed to have talents and dreams; settling down in life is not the ‘be all, end all’. 

The two lead actors (Steve Rodgers as Steve; James Fraser as Jobe) are perfectly cast, and their interaction with each other is believable. The juxtaposition between Jobe, the son, and Steve, the Dad, is also brilliantly told: Jobe is in a mildly successful band, and is about to embark on a tour around Japan, with financial help from his parents. Meanwhile Steve has quit his job to follow his dream of becoming a drummer. Once the latter is revealed, the control of the situation shifts from Jobe to Steve, as he uses blackmail to achieve his dream. 

This makes for a very tense atmosphere, and the tension is done extremely well. While there isn’t a musical score running throughout the whole film, it does occasionally feature to either heighten the tension, or to prove a point in the narrative. An example of the latter is during the final scene, where Jobe decides to listen to his Dad’s mixtape that he had previously written off. Upon hearing the drumming, Jobe’s surroundings appear to fade away as he only hears and sees his parent’s talent and potential. James Fraser’s reaction to this is fantastic and tragic, as he realizes his mistake of shunning his father, essentially throwing away his chance of touring. It’s a very powerful ending. 

While the small amount of score is featured to serve a purpose, it would’ve been nice to have more drumming featured, especially during a silent moment after the pair have had an argument. The film does demonstrate at the beginning that drumming is on Steve’s mind, but this should’ve been shown more, as well as being explained to the audience.

‘Snare’ is a very moving film, with an important and relevant message: people are allowed to have dreams and new-found talents no matter how old they are. Just because someone has settled down and had a family, or has a career, does not mean that that is it. You can pick up a new hobby or discover a new talent at any age. And, while life may throw obstacles in your way, this should not discourage you. Because of this, ‘Snare’ would appeal to people of all ages, and I would definitely recommend this short film to anyone.

---

We hope you're enjoying BRWC. You should check us out on our social channels, subscribe to our newsletter, and tell your friends. BRWC is short for battleroyalewithcheese.

---

Trending on BRWC:

---

Cool Posts From Around the Web:

---

---