In the opening of the Oscar-qualifying short Slow Pulse, we quietly enter the home of a father (Jimmie Fails) who’s had his life turned upside down. He sleeps on his couch, there are empty beer bottles abound, and all the clutter and absence of light, suggests a huge void. So does the hopeless silence, and the flashback to a young boy dancing (Zion Rupert), seems the source of his pain. No question, the boy is the son of the broken father. As a result, dad signs up for dance class, and obviously attempting to address the despondency, the futile gesture becomes a mission we have no choice but to join. Thus, we end up stepping into the situation the father is trying to navigate, and touchingly, the 12 minute film by writer/director Marshall Tyler, has us hoping just as hard for a healing resolution.
Of course, the heavy lift of this fish out of water story dims even further as Bernard signs up. After being begrudgingly accepted into class by administration, Fails’ blank stare reflects back as though he just landed on Mars.
The studio encompassed in the lonely darkness of Eric Branco’s cinematography reveals his obscured path, and leads into the most hostile part of his new environment. This planet is occupied, and the young girls in class are about as unkind as could be expected.
The sentiment is extolled when Bernard bumps into an another dancer, and he’s singled out as “a stupid old man.” Only four words, but anyone who’s ever felt the sting of an dismissive teenage girl, knows exactly the ostracism Bernard feels.
A bit more forgiving, the teacher (Tamica Washington-Miller) does provide some respite. She remains professional in her approach to Bernard and his aspirations. But the trick for Washington-Miller is to walk a fine line between exasperation and how much she can tolerate to oversee the class.
His inelegant motions make him easy prey too, and worse yet, a rhythmic ticking of the dance beat puts his quest on the clock. The slow progress of his uncoordinated step accentuates the urgency, and we then learn that a talent show is where he will put his perseverance to the test.
Although persistence isn’t really the emotion that Fails projects. The girls, the teacher, his two left feet, the resignation that we read on the actor’s face, and his character’s refusal to verbalize the emotions makes the performance even more remarkable. All told, we understand that Bernard’s only salvation is to achieve a level of proficiency and do his son proud.
Fortunately, Bernard has a superpower. He continually conjures the image of his son, and taking the inspiration, Bernard steps up the training. Not quite as all encompassing as a Rocky regimen, the realism actually makes his off-hour training just as dramatic.
Thus, he gets better, and while Bernard is still in a race, the methodical beat of the music now slows. He’s catching up.
So you then elevate in kind and sit perched from Bernard’s perspective. Anything is possible, and no matter what we face, this father’s resolve implores that belief is where all journeys must begin – no matter how impossible.
