This is the second film in this series to be set down in the DUMBO area of Brooklyn, and it opens in the way that many in the series do. At the start we get some nice shots around the location, looking good and with some clever shots or good light effects, then we jump into the sonnet itself. There is an air of being "down" or "under" about the character here, so it is perhaps fitting that they are in this location for the film, and the words also seem to betray a defeatist attitude which comes over in the writer almost beating himself up and throwing himself down in front of his partner. Here it seems she is a former partner, and he is shown close to her but yet distant at the same time, and their only direct interaction is not a good one.
The delivery of the sonnet is mostly in narration, which leaves the actor mostly hanging around, looking sad or defeated. This does allow the camera the freedom to get some good shots, but when the final two lines are delivered direct to camera by the actor, it did remind me that this series does have the downside of too many of the films conforming to a set pattern; specifically – shots of location, sonnet in narration while actor moves around in location, final few lines delivered to camera in close-up, actor moves out of shot and/or fade to black. It is not really a problem, because after 92 of these shorts, it is understandable that some trends would emerge, but I think the issue is that it does make the delivery of sonnet 89 feel very straight and not really bringing much new to the table.
As a straight delivery it is perfectly fine, and the downbeat mood matches the words even if it doesn't really add much to them; still, being par for the course in such a generally strong series is really no bad thing.
The delivery of the sonnet is mostly in narration, which leaves the actor mostly hanging around, looking sad or defeated. This does allow the camera the freedom to get some good shots, but when the final two lines are delivered direct to camera by the actor, it did remind me that this series does have the downside of too many of the films conforming to a set pattern; specifically – shots of location, sonnet in narration while actor moves around in location, final few lines delivered to camera in close-up, actor moves out of shot and/or fade to black. It is not really a problem, because after 92 of these shorts, it is understandable that some trends would emerge, but I think the issue is that it does make the delivery of sonnet 89 feel very straight and not really bringing much new to the table.
As a straight delivery it is perfectly fine, and the downbeat mood matches the words even if it doesn't really add much to them; still, being par for the course in such a generally strong series is really no bad thing.