11:11 (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

2025 HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!

It’s 11:11, make a wish! Noori (Tara Raani) takes full advantage of this opportunity, wishing that she would be her crush’s type. Due to a lack of specificity, Noori experiences an extreme physical change that forces her to see life in a different light. She may just be able to appreciate herself after all is said and done. 

A whimsical science-fiction comedy, 11:11 journeys through the life of a teenage girl struggling with body dysmorphia, incapable of seeing her inner and outer beauty, and placing her worth in the hands of everyone around her. She’s a single person in a world of billions, but she’s meant to represent a vast amount of individuals plagued by the inability to understand and appreciate their own worth. 11:11 approaches this topic with a unique simplicity that is juxtaposed by otherworldly events–expanding the narrative’s range and allowing viewers of all ages and walks of life to understand and appreciate the heavier sentiment embedded in this short film. 

11:11 is filled with archetypes for easy access. Noori is the saboteur, struggling to see and appreciate her worth. Her crush, Jeff (Caiden Falstrup-Finney), is the heartthrob. These are characters that we’re all familiar with, that we’ve all seen a thousand times before–yet there’s something unique about them. There’s an innocence that washes over them, even over the douchebag Jeff. Incorporating innocence into this very real situation allows them to speak to more viewers–and Writer-Director Mahnoor Euceph does this in a way that feels organic, allowing something of a wild narrative to remain grounded and linear from start to finish. 

There are bits of comedy woven into 11:11, but that comedy is often presented in a subtle and effective way. Euceph creates something that doesn’t overstep and overshadow the drama that needs to be realized throughout the course of the film, and the often deadpan deliveries of just about everyone involved in this film is a welcome choice in the grand scheme of this film.

Somewhat original, 11:11 is a relatively simplistic film that’s easily accessible. It includes the standard archetypes, reintroduces familiar plot devices, and follows a story that we’ve effectively seen before. 11:11 is an emotionally relevant film that works on a series of levels–and I’m impressed with what Euceph is able to accomplish in such a short amount of time. 

Directed by Mahnoor Euceph. 

Written by Mahnoor Euceph. 

Starring Tara Raani, Mahaela Park, Caiden Falstrup-Finney, Caleb White, Taylor Greene, etc. 

7.5/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING