Do things ever really get better? Thrown out without context, that’s a heavy-handed question to be asked by anyone, but it’s the pressing matter on award-winning interior designer Yuuki Aoyama’s (Chikako Fukuyama) mind. With her American boyfriend, Josh Turner (Brandon Shypkowski), in tow, the pair have travelled down to Joshua Tree National Park for a weekend getaway. The house is gorgeous, the environment is spectacular, and Yuuki has her prize to celebrate, and yet she can’t seem to enjoy any of it. She seems lost and out of bounds, with dark thoughts swirling around in her head.
When we meet Yuuki and Josh, they seem like the ideal couple. They dress fashionably and (initially at least) seem eager to spend some quality time together. Early on, however, we learn that Josh has different ideas of how that time might be spent. In between off-key guitar serenades and wild requests for intimacy, Yuuki feels trapped between the pressure building inside her mind and Josh’s inability to take things seriously, even cracking a joke about his father’s suicide—the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back for Yuuki. She wants answers: Answers to her depressive episodes and her failing relationship, preferably before her sister Aya (Narisa Suzuki) arrives for a visit.
Writer/director Brandon Shypkowski’s 29 Palms is an intriguing and clever short film that imposes its mental health arguments with quiet levity. For the most part, we are led on to believe that Yuuki is the one in danger of falling victim to her depression, and that is illustrated very early on. However, Josh’s immature advances signal a deeper issue that extends beyond their relationship. An air of ambiguity hangs over them and the film in general, a creative decision that brilliantly builds into a cliffhanger ending.
The way Shypkowski shifts the narrative around multiple times in only 19 minutes is nothing short of impressive, and we have the cast to thank for being so dynamic in their roles. Fukuyama and Shypkowski are both fascinating characters, each carrying tangible motivations that audiences will likely relate to quite easily.
The production design and cinematography are fabulous. Wherever this little vacation house might be in Joshua Tree, it’s a top-notch find by the crew. When blue hour arrives, the colors truly pop in the background against the warm interior of the home. It’s a real shame we never get to see more of it, both outside and in. Each shot by Director of Photography Jesse Aragon feels deliberate and manicured to match the movements and emotional states of both Yuuki and Josh. Creatively, it’s something you would definitely expect from a film centered around an award-winning interior designer, and the team behind 29 Palms does not disappoint.
Supremely thought-provoking all the way through, 29 Palms is one worth checking out for its thematic resonance alone, but excellent performances and direction make it a can’t-miss.
