"In the Time It Takes to Get There" is an American 11.5-minute live action short film from 2019, actually released only approximately 1.5 months ago as of today that i am writing this review. The writer and director is Zach Braff and if the name is not known to some of you out there, then at leastg the face is because he is of course still pretty famous for his career-defining role on Scrubs. But he has also written and directed more projects than you probably expect, so this one here is far from a rookie work for him. But first things first. At the beginning of the film you actually find out that this film is based on a poster. Yep. I have seen films based on books, even based on newspaper articles and based on all kinds of other stuff, butthis one is based on a poster and people were asked to create their own poster quite a long time ago that should be basis for a movie and the winner made a poster that included the pretty long title this film here has and I am sure he is pretty proud of the outcome. Still, as a writer credited he is not, but it's accurate I guess. Now as for the film, if you take a look at the cast list here on imdb, you will find the names of all kinds of actors that have very very little screen time only. Only if you score until the end, you read the names of the two lead actresses Florence Pugh and Alicia Silverstone. Pugh is one of the rising British young actresses now and I am sure she will get an Oscar nomination at some point, but as much as I like her, I cannot deny that Silverstone was a scene stealer here. This is the story of what an influencer's life would have looked like if they had existed in the times already during which period pieces are set in royal Britain. Yes you could say that the film is basically a little sketch comedy, but it's all good I think. Entertaining from start to finish and the moment the outcome reaches the crowd with these 2 girls saying "Like." "Like.", was as funny as two or three other moments, like the hand-holding guy or very early on the guy in Pugh's character's bed and her explanation. Also when we hear her talk about moral aspects of the life of an influencer, they nicely played with us and you never know what she deemed real and really felt or what she was just saying. Now I am sure the influencer scene is mostly financed by the companies whose products are presented and it is really pretty despicable as it basically 100% advertizing, but they are selling it to us as something they really got close to their hearts, so it is also a film that will make you think a bit. And beyond that, you can always enjoy the two ladies in here who are doing a pretty good job. The only thing I did not like and one of not too many reasons why I would say this was only a good, not a great watch was how they maybe tried to be a bit too smart for their own good when they made that jump in time and presented it all as a campaign for an actually modern influencer approach. Again, you could bring up the make-believe argument and how they tricked us once more. Overall, a decent watch. Lets me hope we see Braff write and direct a full feature film in the next years. I give this one here a thumbs-up with no hesitation.
4 Reviews
This was fun
I_Ailurophile11 April 2021
I love the idea that gave rise to this short - allowing ordinary folks to provide a prompt, even as simple as a poster, for filmmakers to create from.
The real stars of 'In the time it takes to get there' are the crew: the costumers, make-up artists, and choreographers, and those who worked on the props and sets. Not for one moment do I mean to disparage anyone else involved, but these contributions in particular light up the screen and give the short life. The premise of the short, following a day in the life of an "influencer," is realized most of all through those details that present the intended glamour. The dresses all look fantastic, and moreover, the picture is impressively crisp and clean - almost too much so - ensuring that we can absorb every little detail.
The short centers Florence Pugh as the influencer who is very "over it." I have not had occasion to see a great many of Pugh's films, yet she's a clear talent, and she sells Lucille's mounting cynicism and dismissiveness very well. It's also a pleasure to see Alicia Silverstone here, giving her character of Eliza a great air of punctuality and order that's equally curt and caring.
It's a simple story being told here, but it's fun, casting a somewhat skeptical eye on the lives of influencers through the lens of another era. The impact of its implied commentary is dulled a bit from the very fact that the Hollywood production behind the short comes from a place of extraordinary, superficial living well beyond the means or scope of ordinary people - pot, meet kettle. And as earnestly as the film works to adapt a very 21st-century phenomenon into an 18th century setting, our suspension of disbelief is abruptly shaken by the very last two scenes that consciously break the illusion.
Still, 'In the time it takes to get there' is enjoyable. Its faults do not ultimately take away from the amusement shared by viewers in regards to the suggested (and very agreeable) disdain toward such an ostentatious, frivolous "industry." It's to the credit of Zach Braff, both writer and director here, to have created such a smart little feature from a poster so open to interpretation.
I, for one, would like to see more challenges like this to let filmmakers let their creativity flow, while giving regular people a hand in that process, too.
The real stars of 'In the time it takes to get there' are the crew: the costumers, make-up artists, and choreographers, and those who worked on the props and sets. Not for one moment do I mean to disparage anyone else involved, but these contributions in particular light up the screen and give the short life. The premise of the short, following a day in the life of an "influencer," is realized most of all through those details that present the intended glamour. The dresses all look fantastic, and moreover, the picture is impressively crisp and clean - almost too much so - ensuring that we can absorb every little detail.
The short centers Florence Pugh as the influencer who is very "over it." I have not had occasion to see a great many of Pugh's films, yet she's a clear talent, and she sells Lucille's mounting cynicism and dismissiveness very well. It's also a pleasure to see Alicia Silverstone here, giving her character of Eliza a great air of punctuality and order that's equally curt and caring.
It's a simple story being told here, but it's fun, casting a somewhat skeptical eye on the lives of influencers through the lens of another era. The impact of its implied commentary is dulled a bit from the very fact that the Hollywood production behind the short comes from a place of extraordinary, superficial living well beyond the means or scope of ordinary people - pot, meet kettle. And as earnestly as the film works to adapt a very 21st-century phenomenon into an 18th century setting, our suspension of disbelief is abruptly shaken by the very last two scenes that consciously break the illusion.
Still, 'In the time it takes to get there' is enjoyable. Its faults do not ultimately take away from the amusement shared by viewers in regards to the suggested (and very agreeable) disdain toward such an ostentatious, frivolous "industry." It's to the credit of Zach Braff, both writer and director here, to have created such a smart little feature from a poster so open to interpretation.
I, for one, would like to see more challenges like this to let filmmakers let their creativity flow, while giving regular people a hand in that process, too.
Poster doesn't seem to have anything to do with it
jfgibson735 October 2021
I wasn't really into this. I was just not interested in what was going on. For a short film, you can't complain too much about lack of story, but I really didn't think they had a good enough idea to make into a film, even at this length.
didn't like it
n-abdelmalek17 April 2022
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