Easier As A Spaceman

Nick and Pete are best friends. Now Nick's parents have told him the family has to move away. Faced with parting, the boys decide to head out into the woods above the town for one last adventure together - an adventure that Pete fantasises will never end.

A film about the importance of imagination and play, this charming little short is well paced and well directed - especially when you consider that it was made entirely by schoolkids. The young actors handle their roles with confidence and it's only really let down by its lighting, always the bane of amateur productions. What marks it out on the positive side is a child-centered view of the world that goes further than the story itself and informs how it is shaped. This is a film that kids will really connect with.

Nick and Pete are both likeable characters. Their play is supported by an unlikely range of costumes but then, as with the accompanying sound effects, it's hard to know how much is fantasy and how much is real. To the boys, it doesn't matter, at least until the time comes to think about going home. Sometimes life really would be easier as a spaceman.