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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
What I expected to be a feature-length film turned out to be a short narrative. And yet, that was fine as it was. Michael Marantz’s We Do This Once is a dramatic thriller that premiered at Tribeca Film Festival today. I got the fortunate opportunity to see it ahead of time.
In this review, I will express my thoughts and opinions on the filmmaker’s first narrative film. As the title of this article suggests, there will be spoilers, so please beware of that!
Plot Summary
As per the Tribeca website, here is the synopsis of the short film:
“A new mother who loses her family’s home takes wildly brazen action in the hopes of giving her baby a better life.”
Athena Reddy plays the mother protagonist, Jess, while Lance Daniels plays Seth, her partner. Aluna Marantz plays Jess’s newborn baby daughter. Lastly, Steve Ggagliastro portrays a policeman.
Discussion
For a film that is roughly twelve minutes long, I was in shock from beginning to end. Michael Marantz serves not only as of the film’s screenwriter and director, but executive producer, musical composer, and producer as well. Aside from that, but the script surprisingly has few lines of dialogue and even fewer set locations.
The film begins with Reddy’s character, who cannot afford to pay off the bills. She is about to have her home taken away from her and her child. She comforts her baby, who isn’t consciously aware of their current living situation.
However, in the next scene, she and Daniels’ characters resort to something that is pretty common, if not cliche. That is, they plan to rob Bloomfield Savings Bank with ski masks on. The two adults have the baby in the backseat, but to make matters worse, Jess has a gun in the glove compartment. She uses this weapon to rob the bank because “How do you rob a bank without a gun?”
The heist is short, sweet, and successful, with Seth as the getaway driver, but the final scene ups the ante. Their car is pulled over by a policeman, and the couple is faced with a dilemma. They can either act civil to stay alive, or they can rebel against the system and risk their lives. These options are on the table, both with the baby in the backseat.
Performances
With Marantz’s musical composition and Sessler’s cinematography, I could not help but scream internally, “HOLY SHIT!!!” Reddy and Daniels make the most out of the short screen time they are given. To add, might I also include Baby Marantz in this? Perhaps it is just my anxieties skyrocketing and my heart pumping slightly faster, but wow!
Everything kicks off (and the pacing speeds up) right when Jess and Seth return to the vehicle from the bank. Seth has his hands on the wheel, while Jess has an adrenaline rush from being trigger-happy. While fleeing the scene, I couldn’t help but think, for a moment, Jess is crazy! As I watched the two actors bounce back and forth with their dialogue, I could not help but also wonder… They have a gun in their possession, and the baby is in the backseat. Nothing can go wrong, right? Right?
Final Thoughts
While I’ve given away a majority of Marantz’s short film, I won’t tell you how it ends. You will just have to be left with the cliffhanger oscillating inside of your heads. That is unless you have already seen the film. I say “film” rather than “movie” because that is what I see it as. It is cinematic.
We Do This Once is available to watch at Tribeca Film Festival!
Have you seen this short film? If you have already, what are your thoughts on it? Let us know! For more drama and thriller-related news and reviews, follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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