Gets Good Light

Watching the latest short film directed by Alejandra Parody and written by Daniel Solé, you can sense they are more than ready to step up to features. Although Gets Good Light works on its own terms, every element of this tightly worked screenplay could easily be expanded and it's a credit to Solé's writing and Parody's strong direction how much they manage to fit into the 16-minute running time without the film feeling overstuffed.

The good light of the title falls into a shiny New York condo that Andrell (Edmond Cofie, whose talent means he could also easily step up to bigger projects) is helping to sell. That's his day job, in any event, as, like so many in the gig economy, by night we see him working in a restaurant. Trouble brews one night, however, when a couple of immigration enforcement (ICE) officers show up after hours looking for his kitchen colleague Manny (Cedric Leiba Jr). The blues of the colour palette emphasised by DoP Soren Nielsen's camerawork, suit the melancholy mood, as does the gently supportive score from Elizabeth Phillipson-Weiner (who is also the film's producer).

Solé's screenplay probes the lines that divide the rich from the poor and shines a light on the injustices that illegal migrants are faced with, no matter how productive they are or how valuable to society. There are obvious prejudices at work here in the attitudes of the ICE officers but also more latent discrimination that affects Andrell in his various roles. This is ultimately a film about small acts of solidarity and how they can make a big difference.