2022 BURLINGTON COUNTY SHORT FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
A young girl (Chloe Shawler) struggles with her self image, and she wishes that she could be more like the popular girls in her school. As she traverses a reality in which her wish becomes reality, she finds that what she had hoped for is not all that it’s cracked up to be. The teenage girl soon realizes which half of herself is her Better Half–and she must fight to keep that part of herself alive. This is an emotional thriller that parallels the harsh realities of being a teen in the twenty-first century.
First and foremost–Better Half aims to reach a younger audience that may struggle with their self image or with coming to terms with who and what they are. Writer-Director Claire Delaney attacks the series of issues that come with being a teenager, and she finds ways to manipulate her narrative so that it’s pieced together seamlessly and brilliantly. The film constantly jumps around from place to place, and one might think that the constant shift in setting might cause Better Half to feel a little too wild or unbalanced, but Delaney knows how to make everything work together beautifully. Through the constantly changing visuals, audiences of all ages understand Delaney’s purpose, but those younger audiences realize what exactly is being said to them.
Again, there are a number of moving parts that exist throughout Better Half, and it very easily could have felt underdeveloped–but the editing done on this film is spectacular. The film switches seamlessly from a bathroom to a rundown bus, and from a bedroom to bleachers–and these transitions feel like something you might see in a blockbuster film. These transitions are developed flawlessly, completely without issue–and it’s one of the best things I’ve seen in a low-budget film in a long time. The ability of Delaney to make these transitions happen so beautifully allows viewers to become immersed in this world of emotional destruction and turmoil. Viewers can see and feel the emotion present in the film’s protagonist, and as Better Half plays out, there’s absolutely no way that viewers don’t understand, completely, the purpose of this film.
There is a moment about three-quarters of the way through Better Half when the tone of the film changes drastically. While drama exists throughout the film in its entirety, there is approximately a thirty-second stint when graffiti appears on screen and words like “fuck” and “Nazi” sit in the forefront of the shot. It’s in this moment–if you hadn’t already understood what was occurring and the severity of Better Half–the protagonists' plights are fully realized. It’s hard seeing these words strewn across the screen, especially as a teenage girl sits there, confused and struggling. This instant is the most difficult to swallow–and as well done as the rest of the film is, I believe that this is where Delaney shines the brightest.
Better Half was awarded the Judges Award at the 2022 Burlington County Short Film Festival on July twelfth–and of the few films that I was able to see at the festival, it was the most deserving. Through the visuals and the storytelling, nothing is lost, everything is understood, and pain and honesty transcend viewers of all ages and walks of life. Better Half is a heartbreaking but beautiful film that needs to make its way into the mainstream for everyone to see.
Written & Directed by Claire Delaney.
Starring Chloe Shawler, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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