We already knew Corey Smith through his short romantic comedy « making the grade » story of a teenager in love with her handsome professor played by Hugh Jackman, a short movie that really awoke some funny recollections in us: Indeed who never had a crush on a charming teacher? Someone we saw as a hero leading us towards knowledge, making us forget about the boring hours of courses? It was so well observed! And that's exactly what Corey Smith is: A great observer of our lives ! A spectator of people's existences, exploring and analyzing their situations and reactions to make them the heroes of tomorrow, the heroes of his productions. Outstanding skill for a young filmmaker!

His new movie « how could you » is the perfect illustration of this exceptional skill: A drama almost treated like a thriller, with an outstanding surprising ending, reminding of the style of M. Night Shyamalan in his « sixth sense's year ».

Through those few minutes of story, Corey Smith leads us into some situations we all have experienced before, and through something that represents one of our biggest fear, and biggest anger, without we really realize about it, (especially during the first minutes of the short) thanks to a very smart screenplay, a perfect plot.

We first think we are watching a short movie revolving around adolescence, one of those modern movies showing us the suffering and doubts filling young people's minds during their teenage life, a movie with a tough teen, her suffering as she is facing the divorce of her parents, indeed the father seems to have gone, leaving the girl and her mother by themselves in a difficult situation made of tears and confrontations. A very complicated situation during the delicate period of life which is adolescence: a moment of great fragility. In search of her own identity, in search of a reason for living again, we see that teenager slowly « sinking » in depression and anger with that father who left them alone and sad with nothing hang on to, no one to rely on. I really liked the music reflecting the moments of doubt and anguish very well, and the acting of the young actress playing the teenager was excellent! All the scenes in which the teenager crosses the streets by herself, illustrating perfectly those moments of loneliness, those moments during the ones she still has this question haunting her mind » how could you!? ».

Then, we discover the truth, thanks to the outstanding surprising ending (the one I already mentioned above)And we are blown away! Completely. We realize all the meaning of the title: « How could you ?! » A sentence that comes from the deepest of her heart, the deepest of her painIt's splendid!

How could you is the work of a talented young film maker, a work that is simply the proof that film makers can do beautiful films without big budgets, that everything lies in the lines of a jewel: in the lines of a perfect script, something too rare in the industry that the young Corey Smith seems to handle perfectly!

I really recommend this movie, and of course, advice anyone to keep an eye on this talented artist!

Jordan Tate.

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

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The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

A teenage girl (Danielle Meola) deals with her father leaving the family, realizing through her mother (Cheryl Kozyra) that forgiveness, though sometimes painful, can give closure.

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How Could You?!

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