Just Say Hi

Romance between a boy and a girl at a bus stop may sound as familiar as the Number 22 to work, John McPhail inventively delivers in this two-minute film made for the Virgin Media Shorts competition.

When the girl (Natalie Wallace) and the boy (Tyler Collins) catch one another's eye while they wait, there's a spark - but will either of them do anything about it? McPhail and cinematographer John Young keep the comedy visual, putting the space of the bus shelter - confined but big enough for two people to keep their distance - to good use. Even in this limited environment, McPhail finds unexpected ways to generate comedy while also giving the girl and the boy distinctive characters, which is no mean feat considering there is only one line of dialogue. The bouncy track by Les Enfants injects just the right amount of cool, without tipping things over into insufferable.

Funny and imaginative, with the warmth of a secretly shared smile, we laugh and care about this pair. A feature film, Where Do We Go From Here?, is reportedly in the works. Wherever they go, it is likely to be worth following them.