He gazes contemplatively at the picture of a little girl seemingly lost in the crowd looking at something. As reporters gather around fascinated by the same picture a question arises: ‘What is she looking at?’. The man’s answer, Fitzgerald, will stick with you forever: ‘At what she’ll never have.’ Who knows better about a piece of art than its own creator?
Fitzgerald is talented and famous. His success can be scent from a mile by his confident slightly arrogant demeanour. However, his night gains a strange vibe promising to change his life forever as soon as Margaret, a woman from his past, shows up unexpectedly after 10 years. The news? He has a daughter. And so, after a short efficient exposition, Josh Kirkland triggers the plot of his short film ‘Fitzgerald‘. A story about a guy who slights families and looks meant to be a bachelor forever turns into a story about parenthood and learning about bearing the responsibilities of one’s own actions.
Josh Kirkland’s film is full of emotion. Pointing to the unpredictability of life, the film has a special way of putting order into chaos, because that’s what Fitzgerald’s life looks like beyond the glamorous appearance of his success. Being informed you have a child you didn’t know about doesn’t happen everyday, and it’s not exactly something that brings balance to your life. To connect the father and daughter in such a short amount of time (12 minutes) the director uses a very smart trick that leverages perfectly on the film’s credibility: the daughter has the same passion as her father: photography. Combined with the impression the picture with the girl made on Fitz in the opening of the film, this will mirror deeply in Fitzgerald who is a photographer himself and entail an immediate acceptance of Jordan, the girl. The film talks about the duty of assuming the responsibility we have towards our descendants and the strong values that need to be passed on – a potential symbol in this direction being Jordan’s hobby that coincides to her father’s ‘job’.
Confidently shot, acted and directed, ‘Fitzgerald’ sensitises, offering an enjoyable filmic experience. Glamorous, elegant and occasionally witty, Josh Kirkland’s film is a presence hard to ignore.
TMFF RATING:
