'Torchlight' Short Film Review

Film Threat • March 14, 2020

There’s the business side of business, where everything is transactional—devoid of emotion. Then there’s the human side—all loaded with all these juicy emotions. These emotions and business are explored in Andy Kastelic’s short film, Torchlight.

The short starts with young childhood friends, Charlie (Andrew Olson) and Viola (Ava Wagenman), playing in an open field. Next Charlie is helping his uncle, sew up an open wound after a fight. Charlie idolizes his uncle Terry (Jack Forcinito) and takes to heart his business philosophy. “He better pay out or I’m taking him for all he’s worth,” he warns the young Charlie.

Cut to today, and older Charlie (Andy Kastelic) is ordered by Terry to collect from Viola (Sarah Minnich) and her brother Samuel (Gennaro Leo) the debt they owe Terry for funeral services for their late father. Rather than go to a collection service, Terry would rather collect with a gang of thugs and muscle. Charlie finds himself on Viola and Samuel’s doorstep, urging Samuel to pay the debt that he clearly cannot. Then Terry and his goons arrive.

What I like about Kastelic’s story is he places his protagonist (played by Kastelic himself) in a real-life catch-22 situation. He backs his character into a corner and then has him fight his way out. As Terry says, “he’s not the bad guy.” He offered funeral services to Viola and Samuel in good faith and delivered on his end. For the siblings, they made a promise to him that they had every intention of fulfilling, but can’t. Now Terry has to figure out a solution or there will be blood.

Where Torchlight succeeds is in creating and then escalating that conflict in Charlie’s mind leading to the final bold decision in the end. The situation forces Charlie to debate the issue in his mind and come to a conclusion without ever having to talk about it or, worse, go into some cliched monologue—show, don’t tell.

Torchlight is a wonderful short that tells an authentic human story and connects you instantly with the lead protagonist. You understand his past using imagery instead of exposition, allowing you to fill in the gaps with your imagination. You appreciate his final decision and are right there with Charlie and the consequences of that decision. Kastelic effectively uses the advantages of short films to tell his story.

By Alan Ng, © Film Threat