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Looking at the title of the short film, Olive, one would automatically assume that the movie revolves around the tasty fruit but it is much deeper than that.

The movie follows two struggling couples trying their best to make their relationship work. Inspired by William Shakespeare ‘s song “O Mistress Mine” and performed by Caleb Eberhardt of the hip-hop/jazz duo Quincy Vidal, Olive hopes to use its unique method of storytelling to explore the themes of betrayal, infidelity, heartbreak and chance encounters.

The most striking element of the movie is its visual style. The movie solely relies on using Black and White as its primary colours. The film also boasts great cinematography from Eric Branco as we get great shots of the city of Philadelphia and various rooms that serve as a backdrop for the troubled relationships.

The film’s minimalist approach works extremely well. The movie utilizes a soothing and emotionally powerful rendition of Shakespeare’s song ‘O Mistress Mine’ performed by Caleb Eberhardt. The song helps drive the story and effectively highlights the themes the movie focuses on. The actors effectively convey raw emotion on the screen as the movie has limited dialogue and focuses on the characters’ expressions and their actions to tell the tale.

Although there were moments when the movie stutters, Olive is a fascinating short film backed by a stellar performance from its cast; impressive visual style and great music.

First published by Ezenkiri

By Olisa Nwokedi