2023 HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
After fellow student and close friend, Ricardo (Tiago A. Santos), commits suicide, Olivia (Jordan Ashley Delgado) and his other closest friends must come to terms with his passing. There Can Be Light showcases fear, regret, and hatred as teenagers attempt to understand the role they played in Ricardo’s death. Their lives are in shambles, and each one of them will approach their struggle differently.
The message present in There Can Be Light is obvious, as it’s attempting to put an end to suicide, particularly teenage suicide. Every second of this film attacks this head on, and it does all that it can to make its message abundantly clear. Never is this aspect of the film in doubt, as it seems that the only purpose behind this film was to express this–and it’s successful in its attempt.
Beyond that message, however, I’m not sure that much of There Can Be Light works. This film should be riddled with emotion, but that emotion never reaches the surface. There are a number of reasons why There Can Be Light doesn’t work in this regard, starting with the acting. The thought always lingers in the back of my mind that when young, inexperienced actors take the stage, there’s the potential for failure–that’s exactly what happens here. Delgado, Tyler James White (Jason), and Suliana Solano (Maria) fail to convey emotion in an effective manner, and the hard-hitting potential crumbles beneath them as a result. Their tone is always just a bit off, their facial expressions don’t always reflect the intended intensity of the scene, and with their inability to convey emotion, There Can Be Light is ripped apart at the seams.
Even the tone of There Can Be Light doesn’t work the way Writer-Director Angela Cohen likely hoped it would. Part of that stems from the aforementioned acting, but some of that comes from the writing and direction as well. There are some odd scenes in There Can Be Light, some that are far more lighthearted than they should be, altering the tone of the film. I can’t understand why there was levity presented to viewers in any capacity, because it steals from the intended message. That message still remains clear, but it’s odd to include scenes that butt heads with it. While I can understand not wanting your film to be overwhelming, I think this film needs to be. The tone isn’t what it should be, and, again, there are moments of levity that throw the already ineffective tone even further out of whack.
There Can Be Light had a lot of potential. It’s relevant, even though it shouldn’t have to be–and it’s led by teenagers. Seeing teenagers in this capacity has the potential to be hard-hitting, even groundbreaking in one way or another, but There Can Be Light misses the mark in so many ways. Its message is made clear, there’s no doubt about that–and honestly that’s the most important piece of the film. It’s hard to say that There Can Be Light has failed, even if it manages to reach just one person, or save a single life. However, in terms of its technical ability, it leaves a lot to be desired.
Written & Directed by Angela Cohen.
Starring Jordan Delgado, Suliana Solano, Tyler James White, Elliott Bunche, Leni Rico, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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