Enjoy: Review

18th June 2021

“Progressive muscle relaxation, Lycra, spoken word. As Michael (Himesh Patel) seeks novel ways to halt his spiralling depression, a moment of hope arrives via an unexpected source.” Making its world premiere on June 15 at the to the Tribeca Film Festival and already available on Vimeo, “Enjoy” is an 18-minute short film directed by the half Finnish, half British, Saul Abraham and written by Callum Cameron.

Saul Abraham is the director of several short films such as “Breaking” (2016), “Baby” 2014 or in a documentary “Moses: Strongman”, one of 19 episodes from the Idris Takeover, a series of shorts created and curated by Idris Elba for BBC Three. In “Enjoy”, we find Michael, played by Himesh Patel, one of the main actors of Yesterday (2019) by Danny Boyle and who also has a role in Tenet (2020) by Christopher Nolan.

Michael is a struggling musician, plagued by self-doubt and depression, who has taken on a second job in which his role is to help a boy, Archibald (played by Tom Sweet). Archibald seems to have difficulty to communicate with the world around him, he alternates between fits of anger and moments of nastiness. The link and the evolution of the relationship between Michael and Archibald will be the focus of the film.

The performances of Himesh Patel and Tom Sweet (who is very young), are very impressive and allow us to appreciate the accuracy of the dialogues and of the writing throughout the film. The subject of “Enjoy” is depression. How it can alter our behavior, our vision of the things that surround us and that come into contact with us, but also how to get out of this hellish spiral.

We find the superb photography of Tasha Back, with a strong presence of the color blue that may remind us of Krysztof Kieslowki’s film “Three Colours: Blue” (1993), in which Julie (played by Juliette Binoche) must face the loss of her child and her husband, and plunges into a deep depression and a period of mourning. Throughout the film, the music gives a very dreamy aspect to the film and makes it lighter and very pleasant.

Used to the short format, Saul Abraham delivers in only 18 minutes a light and hopeful film about depression, which works very well thanks to its rhythm, its photography and the quality of its actors.

Facebook

Google

Twitter

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.