By: Amanda Guarragi
Always is a short film, based on real life experiences, directed by Sam Zapiain and written by Melissa MJ Del Rosario. It incorporates horror elements to cope with the illness of diabetes. There is an urgency in the storytelling because no one really discusses the struggle of living with diabetes. Its experimental use of painted images and rough editing, combined with the haunting score make this a truly special film.
The film hooks you from the moment it begins. The close up shot of the needle in the center of the screen lures you in and then it abruptly cuts to our subject Alex (David Kurtz), who is laying in bed with hands all over his body, appearing to strap him down to the bed. The imagery in this film is quite stunning, as it uses hands and fingers to show the mental struggle in coping with the illness. The film also plays with colours, the anxiety and mental struggle is shown in black and white, while the insulin and needles are in colour. There’s such richness in these tones and the lighting was also extremely effective to punch up certain textures.
The film feels like a journey in such a short period of time. The repetition, rough cuts and haunting (but stunning) images are all utilized to properly highlight the struggle of living with diabetes. It’s a very important film and most of the images will stay with me for awhile. Always is very well written and executed, it’s a personal story and everyone should watch it.
Candid Cinema 