When I got the assignment of covering Joseph Longo and Sofia Camargo’s short film titled We’re Not Done Yet, I went through the press material that was sent to me. For short film assignments, I always do that either before or after, because I want to know the people who’re working on it and how the thing materialized. Anyway, the synopsis of We’re Not Done Yet said it would be about a mother and son getting into a tense situation on holiday, due to the overly controlling nature of the son. That made me assume the son is the sort of villain here. But when I finally watched We’re Not Done Yet, it didn’t quite feel like that.
Here’s what happens in the short. It opens at the beach. Betina and her adult son Alex are on a holiday. She asks if he’s dating someone; he shrugs. It seems like Alex is here just for the sake of it. Back at the beach house, Betina and Alex do a yoga routine together. Hearing the sound of a baby crying, Betina goes outside and comes across their renter—this young woman Irene and her infant son, baby Cleo. She strikes up a conversation with Irene, but things soon take a weird turn when Betina asks to hold the baby and wants Irene to take a photo of them. Obviously, that’s a strange request, especially coming from a stranger you just met, so Irene reacts as anyone should. That makes Betina mad. While this is going on outside, Alex finds an adoption form, filled out by his mom. He does come out and take care of the situation between Irene and Betina. Irene’s husband also comes out, and while Alex tries to be nice to him, the guy doesn’t extend an olive branch, which miffs him, and he can’t help but blurt out he’s the owner of the place. Strangely enough, that doesn’t sit right with Betina, as she believes Alex shouldn’t have said that, given she was the owner. I’m not going to spoil the rest of We’re Not Done Yet, but you get the drill here. The matter of Betina actually planning to adopt a kid becomes a topic of conflict between her and Alex, where he’s not on the same page as her, expectedly.
Now, from a strictly technical point of view, We’re Not Done Yet is quite wonderful. The acting by Longo (who’s also the director) and his real-life mother Barbara Sukowa is very impressive. I didn’t know Sukowa is actually a big deal in Germany, and Joseph’s co-director Sophia is a fan of hers. The grainy cinematography by Melanie Akoka does wonders for the story here. The editing is very much on point, and so is the direction by Longo and Camargo. Nothing much can be said about the music and background score, but they’re adequate. So as a short film, We’re Not Done Yet works, and it makes me want to explore the work of these two directors beyond this.Â
But here is where the trouble lies. I don’t quite agree with the directors’ vision here. Only because of the press material, which I read thoroughly, am I aware of the kind of place it came from. His thought is quite novel, actually, where he has described that he used to think of his mother as a ‘burden’ and only when he started to evolve did he realize how wrong he was. He also stresses his overly controlling nature as a human being, and the film does focus on that. Now, I belong from a country where it is a natural thing to take care of your parents in their old age. That’s the societal norm here. People are automatically labeled as villains if they leave their parents behind and start living elsewhere for study or work. Even if they hire professionals to help the parents, they’re not forgiven. So, in case you’re wondering, I’m aware and fully understand the message the director is trying to convey. And I don’t think parents are burdens. But I do believe, at some point, some parents become quite a nuisance. If, for example, Betina adopts an infant and dies when the child turns ten or so (because she’ll be old), then the responsibility will end up on Alex’s shoulder. Then how pragmatic was the decision, keeping the circumstances in mind? If you ask me, Alex had every right to oppose it. To me, the character of Alex doesn’t seem controlling. He’s just logical, and the reaction to his mother is only natural, considering how overwhelming the character of Betina is.
Again, I’m not exactly criticizing the short here. I’ve already praised the hell out of it. But reading the press material and then watching We’re Not Done Yet has made me come to the conclusion that the director duo hasn’t been able to make the film that they were actually trying to make. Sure, it’s quite funny and works as an indie short. But I clearly didn’t see it the way it is supposed to be seen. And the reason I’m bringing this up is that I believe a director’s vision is important. It is his/her story after all, and people do need to see it from that perspective. Here, Joseph Longo and Alex seem like completely different people—one is trying to make a film showing an evolving relationship between a mother and son, while the other is a character in the film who’s deeply frustrated with his mother. That’s why the ending (you’ll know what I’m talking about when you see it) doesn’t make sense to me. I understand what the film is aiming for there, but it just doesn’t gel well with the rest of the narrative. Maybe telling the same story in a feature film format will justify it. Needless to say, I would very much love to see that happening some day.
