Name: Hi-Fi
Genre: Short
Duration: 5 min
Rating: 4.7
Cast: John Maghrelli, Amy Sepser, PJ Sanagorski

This early short film by Sean Baker ("The Florida Project", "Red Rocket") already shows some of the man's characteristics and the kind of characters he would work on his feature films: people on the margins of society trying to find happiness or something to make them move forward with their downer lives.

But in "Hi-Fi" there isn't much of a story, it's simply following a night in the lives of four teenagers in a car crossing a New York tunnel in order to have some fun, even if that "fun" might put them in some dangerous scenario.

No dialogues, just an ambient electro soundtrack playing in the background as the two boys and the two girls smoke their cigarettes, have some playful times (the couple in the back seat makeout from time to time, the couple in the front seat look at the road ahead and look behind while sharing some funny joke we can't hear. When reaching their destination they await for a special someone to hand to one of them what they were after and it's up to audiences to analyze if it's good, bad, problematic or not. Not gonna give away what it is.

Baker's camera following the group has such a natural aspect to it that it doesn't seem like a film, it's almost like a documentary following unknown teens having a great night out, and somehow we're curious in following them, despite the lack of a storyline or an ultimate higher purpose except seeing a variation of life that is truly believable, realistic. It doesn't offer much for a debate, though there are issues that can be explored and analyzed, neither offers much as an entertainment. It is what is, a simple observation of youth, no harm done on viewers. 6/10.

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 group of four teenagers drive through a New York city tunnel just to have a fun night out in between playful moments and flirting. Not an innocent fun.

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Hi-Fi

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