Ivan Kander
Even when watching features, as a lover of shorts, I’m always in search of films that feature an economy of storytelling—an efficient, precise way of getting conflict and emotion across to viewers. Brady, a short from filmmaking duo John Heeg and Chris Westlund (branding themselves as nautico) is a representative example of this done well, packing an emotional punch in just a nimble 7 minutes. Economic, yes, but also subtle and moving in their exploration of a mother’s attraction to her disabled son’s teenage aquatic therapy instructor.
The plot could have easily resulted in something too melodramatic and unbelievable, but Heeg and Westlund craft something that is quite touching and understated. The key to the film’s success is that the central focus isn’t really on the May/December romance between Diane and Ted, but rather young Brady himself. Confined to his wheelchair Brady watches the climactic scene of the film—where his mother attempts to realize her feelings for Ted—from afar. He’s a spectator to what is obviously a huge moment in his mother’s life. Yet, that interaction can only be heard as a faint mumble. It’s a wonderfully underplayed scene—one that a lesser film would have coated with overdone score and unnecessary theatrical bombast. But, Brady is too good for that. It’s a film all about restraint. Much like its central character, restricted by disability, it too buries its emotions below the surface.
Overall, Brady is a production five years in the making. John Heeg originally wrote the script in college based on his experience volunteering with children with cerebral palsy at a local hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Following the release of their 23 minute film school short, Death of the Cool, the directing duo set out to make something that explored a similar tone and visual aesthetic, but to make it much, much shorter. Finding a young boy to play the titular character proved to be a challenge. Luckily, using a connection with a friend who works in casting, they were able to discover Chance Armstrong, a young boy with cerebral palsy from Kansas interested in acting. They quickly flew Chance and his mother out to Los Angeles to get the film made.
“I understand the detractions people might have about the film.” John writes via e-mail correspondence. “It’s not a very edgy or exciting piece! There isn’t any snappy dialogue, sex, drugs, violence, expletives, action scenes, explosions, vfx, etc. but Chris and I are proud of it regardless because we feel it is well paced, well shot, and revealing in a human sense. We are also happy with the way that it presents paraplegics as people who are intelligent and capable.”
In the end, Brady isn’t about plot, but rather capturing a feeling. It’s about longing for more, putting yourself on the line, and dealing with the awkwardness and rejection that may come as a result. The abrupt ending of the film is sure to divide people (it did internally with our Short of the Week editors), but at the very least, I know it will you leave you thinking long after its 7 minutes are up.
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