I don't know Shakespeare's sonnets at all so I'm not sure if they are meant to run in the order they are numbered or not, but in this short film project the second film jumps from sonnet #1 to #15 so I assume that it is not vital they be in the given numeric order. This sonnet is delivered from the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, where a man ruminates on themes that are similar to those of the first film. These are mentions of the beauty of youth, reproduction and the decline caused by cruel time.
In this film though there appears to be an upbeat tone to it since the sonnet ends with the suggestion that enjoying and appreciating the beauty of youth will somehow refresh it and enliven it even as the war with time takes away from the subject. It is a positive sonnet that is realistic at the same time and I found it engagingly delivered here even if, yet again, the speed of delivery is a bit hard for my ears and took a couple of watches to fully catch it. Visually the film opens with shots of life and vitality of the park – obvious shots in their selection and framing, but it works in the context of the words. I did like that the film spend the second half focused on the speaker, particularly highlighting that he himself is subject to this decrease at his height (no offence to Michael Lopez!).
The focus on Lopez also helped him to perform to the camera, whereas in the first film much of Williams' text was delivered with him off camera. With the focus on Lopez we can appreciate where he laments things but also where he finds some joy – and it is his facial expression and manner of delivery that helped me appreciate the meaning more. After his final word the film cuts to the credits really quickly, and the effect is quite jarring (like having the lights all suddenly switched on in the night); but aside from this the camera does enough to help set up the meaning but also let the actor make the most of the writer's feelings in his performance.
In this film though there appears to be an upbeat tone to it since the sonnet ends with the suggestion that enjoying and appreciating the beauty of youth will somehow refresh it and enliven it even as the war with time takes away from the subject. It is a positive sonnet that is realistic at the same time and I found it engagingly delivered here even if, yet again, the speed of delivery is a bit hard for my ears and took a couple of watches to fully catch it. Visually the film opens with shots of life and vitality of the park – obvious shots in their selection and framing, but it works in the context of the words. I did like that the film spend the second half focused on the speaker, particularly highlighting that he himself is subject to this decrease at his height (no offence to Michael Lopez!).
The focus on Lopez also helped him to perform to the camera, whereas in the first film much of Williams' text was delivered with him off camera. With the focus on Lopez we can appreciate where he laments things but also where he finds some joy – and it is his facial expression and manner of delivery that helped me appreciate the meaning more. After his final word the film cuts to the credits really quickly, and the effect is quite jarring (like having the lights all suddenly switched on in the night); but aside from this the camera does enough to help set up the meaning but also let the actor make the most of the writer's feelings in his performance.