Two Strangers Who Meet Five Times
In short, two strangers meet five times.
Brief encounter: Laurence Spellman and Sargon Yelda
Although made in 2017, Marcus Markou’s short is only now getting a theatrical release as a support to his new feature The Wife and Her House Husband, hence its inclusion here. However, the short has already made quite an impact on YouTube, garnering a phenomenal 3.2 million views. To put that in perspective, the winner of this year’s Oscar for best live-action short, An Irish Goodbye, has only accumulated 1.8 thousand views so far.
Of course, brevity is a powerful tool, and Markou, who previously directed the sweet and strangely life-affirming feature Papadopoulos & Sons (2012), wields his concision with skill. As the title suggests, there are five encounters, each at a most unforeseen juncture. As in real life. But what makes the film so moving is how such fleeting moments can impact the next, for good or ill. Markou exhibits a talent for capturing the commonplace, anchoring his drama in a credible reality. But it is his direction of the actors that really wins the day, with Dimitri Andreas encapsulating the film’s compassion with a single look.
Many a successful feature has been adapted from a short, notably Boogie Nights, District 9, Sling Blade and the recent (Oscar-nominated) Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. The premise at the heart of Two Strangers Who Meet Five Times makes one crave for more, and it probably could support a feature-length format, particularly if Markou can sustain the same quality of production and performance. Having chaired the jury for an international shorts’ festival, I am only too aware of the limits of the genre. So, filmgoers attending Markou’s The Wife and Her House Husband (which I have yet to see) are in for a supplementary treat. Maybe Markou shouldn’t meddle with such a perfect cinematic gem. After all, it was the almighty Mark Twain who said, “I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.”
JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Cast: Sargon Yelda, Laurence Spellman, Dimitri Andreas, Alister Cameron, Gino Azzopardi, Luko Gale, Georgina Blackledge, Madeleine Dunne, Kate Terence, Simeon Willis.
Dir Marcus Markou, Pro Sara Butler and Sophie Andrea Mitchell, Screenplay Marcus Markou, Ph Chris Fergusson, Pro Des Eryl Ellis, Ed Paulyne Antoniou, Music Sophie Mojsiejenka, Costumes Robert Lever.
Double M Films-Miracle Films/Double M Films.
12 mins. UK. 2017. UK Rel: 10 March 2023. Cert. 12A.
