Short and Sweet #1: Unpacking

It’s a strange coincidence that I’m writing about Unpacking, a short film about uncovering the relics of a relationship, while surrounded by family storage boxes after a recent move. Like they say, art imitates life, and Unpacking, with a smoothly flowing script by Neely Reyes, is a convincing reminder of how much power objects from our past lives can still hold.

Unpacking turns the claustrophobic framing of a small storage unit into a site for uncertain closeness between two exes. Moments of warmth appear between lingering shots of hesitant looks and buried softness between Una (Rosie Edwards) and Leo (Gary Reimer). Beatrice de Trenqualye and Harpal Mudhar’s music gives a cosy wistfulness and reflection to all the memories and questions that relationship-fuelled objects bring up.

Rosie Edwards and Gary Reimer in Unpacking (2024) dir. Thomas Mason

Edwards carries herself well as Una, her defensiveness and flaring eyes trying to put the ghost of connection back in its box. Reimer is also on form when delivering deadpan jokes and layered half-smiles. But it’s Reyes’ screenplay that holds it all together, switching deftly and truthfully from cold, awkward distance to commonality between the pair.

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