It can sometimes take the most unlikely and tragic of circumstances to mend broken bonds. The passing of beloved family man Jim (Robert Okumu) sees relatives and close friends flock to his memorial service, but an uncomfortable energy has settled on the proceeding. Max Palmer (Hosea Chanchez) leads those gathered with grace, but the arrival of his estranged college teammate Paul Jensen (Nick Wechsler) transports his mind back in time to the past they shared. Max and Paul struggle with their reunion, but Jim’s estate hearing summons them both, forcing their unease into the open. With polygraph tests in place and attorney Barbara Lewis (Anna Maria Horsford) moderating the meeting, both Max and Paul are prompted to dissect their fragmented relationship.
Will I See You Again? tugs at all the heartstrings right out of the gate, as community figurehead Max opens his friend’s funeral with a somber, yet encouraging monologue in the halls of a local church. All seems cordial until Paul makes his presence known, sending Max into a spiral.
Director Michael Perez-Lindsey’s short film defies any melodramatic undertones the premise might suggest. It’s a sensitive, non-judgmental, and completely transparent study of life’s many avenues. Perez-Lindsey’s direction is sharp throughout, but perhaps more importantly, it is empathetic in the face of some rather challenging themes. The director clearly cares about his story, and the way he tells it resonates on a deep, emotional level. You can feel the weight of the moment when the two leads interact.
The film is an all-out showcase for Hosea Chanchez and Nick Wechsler. Each time Max and Paul are on screen together, you can almost feel them holding their collective breaths, waiting for the other to make a move. Mere expressions from the two are enough to convey their past history together, but there is so much more at stake than just that.
Co-writers Michael Perez-Lindsey and Rhett Lindsey’s choice to delve into the religious aspect of Max’s life and how it conflicts with Paul’s is a stroke of brilliance, paired with taut dialogue that cuts right to the core. You feel the tension and release whenever they answer, and the film cuts to the polygraph needles tracing away. It’s a battlefield of truths and ideals, unresolved heartache, and longing. And what a beautiful, crushing battlefield it is.
Anchored by two phenomenal performances, Will I See You Again? beautifully deconstructs the lives of two men and brings them together for an opportunity to start it all over again.
Official Selection of this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival
