At the most precarious time for safe and legal access to abortion in the US in recent memory comes Joel Junior's Last Minute, reading more like a play or a gripping short story than a conventional short film.
Last Minute boasts a minimal plot, pitting a heterosexual former couple against one another due to the woman's decision to go through with the abortion of their early-term offspring, conceived during their final night together. Against this seemingly simple framework, Junior's script flows totally unimpeded and effortlessly kinetic, compressing social commentary, realistic arguments, natural-sounding dialogue and deft satyre of the american far-right in just 17 minutes that go by in a flash.
Technically speaking, the film is crisp to the max, from the crystal-clear cinematography to the subdued music and sharp editing through space & time. The leads' performances, akin to a dynamic stage production's, are undoubtedly highly professional, if sometimes emotionally dry, given the subject matter.
Expertly-crafted, socially sensitive and with a beautiful additional message during the credits, Joel Junior and his team produce a piece worthy of their collective laurels that succinctly sums up a controversial current debate.
