Stevie (Carly Tatiana Pandza) wakes up in the back of a cop car after the death of her estranged father. Her husband, Gale (Mario Silva), bails her out of jail, but the grief is still raw and consuming Stevie. She soon begins stalking a police officer who looks like her father, sending her into a further spiral of depression and obsession. Generation Well navigates heavy themes of grief and loss all within 17 minutes.
Carly Tatiana Pandza mixes subtlety with overt rawness to capture Stevie’s complex state of mind. Depression, death, self-harm, coping, and addiction are all present within the narrative, and Pandza elevates each theme as the central character. Drone footage during travel sequences adds production value to the film, while maintaining the film’s DIY, indie spirit. The themes and analysis of grief are important and popular in the current indie drama scene, adding to the relevance of Generation Well.
The indie heart of Generation Well gives the short film its best moments. The attention to small production details and the effective use of sets add flavor to the short, especially for indie fans. However, Generation Well struggles to balance its narrative. It has elements of a bleak coping story, an obsessive thriller, and an inspiring, trying-to-get-sober drama. All possible within a feature but in the confines of a short film, the shifting tones and beats delude from the whole.
Writer and director Jack Serra shows a lot of skill in the world of indie drama. Generation Well‘s ending breaks up the pace, allowing the viewer to glimpse the possibility in Stevie’s future and accenting the final shot. The film struggles to find a cohesive theme and leans too heavily on drama tropes. Pandza’s performance is solid, and Serra has found success with short films in the past. Generation Well covers the bones of Stevie’s story with ease, but the uncommitted story beats steal from the film’s heart.
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