Set to the song ‘Hold On Tight’ sung by Keelin O’Hara, we see how love isn’t always enough to hold two people together. As the title of the short suggests, in 4 minutes we see a whole relationship displayed before us. The first and last moments flow seamlessly together, letting us in the great highs but also the upsetting lows of the partnership of these two girls.
With a small cast and crew, director Sarah Rotella has done amazingly well to heighten the real-life moments that so many relationships go through, but still keep it down to earth. Co-written by her and Adrianna DiLonardo, it does something that a lot of films don’t have the guts to do, leaving it on a sad note. There is not a happily ever after, there’s no one else to come forward as a friend or partner, it’s just two people who didn’t work out and that is ok to accept. I appreciate stories that tell the truth and this short did it incredibly well, telling us that tales often come to an end in sad ways, but that’s ok.
Starring Nadia Mohebban and Ali Starr Goebel, there is no dialogue to push out the emotions, only their expressions to flow next to the song. Both actors showed the coming to life of something beautiful but then the tragic breakdown that followed, through anger and excitement. It felt so pure and real, letting the story just tell itself.
Hello, Goodbye is simple but can reflect nearly every person who watches it. Whether you see it as a music video, or something quite personal to you, you can’t deny how graceful it is.