Please Come Home

There's a tremendous joy in seeing talents grow and mature.

Only a year ago, writer-producer-actor Charlotte Fenton debuted her darkly complex short, Internal Abyss, which she made with Helena Antonio. Now, her latest makes its way around the festival circuit to great acclaim. Where the former was a fantastic introduction, it's Please Come Home that solidifies Fenton as a force to be reckoned with.

Only 12 minutes in length, Fenton's eloquent and deeply touching story is universal and intimate. Assuredly directed by Daymon Britton, Please Come Home is a story of two different kinds of loss. Both are inevitable, yet only one is permanent. As with Internal Abyss, Fenton leans on the ephemeral nature of time and memory to mine deeper truths about how we cope with loss. Every time you expect the script to over-extend itself, Fenton and Britton pull back. The result is minimalist, yet more powerful for it.

That minimalism extends to the cast, especially Mark Benton in the leading role as a father looking for a foothold in a new reality. He and Fenton play against one another beautifully, especially in the moments where they let their awkward body language do the talking. To her credit, Fenton downplays a part that could easily turn hammy and instead shows just how far she's come as an actor in such a short time.

The British film industry has a pedigree of great realist storytellers. People who have an innate understanding of highlighting mundane truths. Britton and Fenton display that talent as well. Their short is a tender slice of life that lingers because it feels true and lived in. It's the perfect kind of short film. A hazy memory that reappears when you least expect it.