Flush is an incredibly brilliant short film written and directed by Sheridan O'Donnell that in its 14-minute timespan gives viewers some very deep insights into the human condition as it slowly and methodically peels back the layers of the struggles of two friends, Nic (Sofia Embid) and Sam (Lauren Chavez-Myers), as they reconnect for the first time since the latter became a mother six months prior according to O'Donnell in an interview he gave about the film; Sam's baby is heard softly crying in the opening credits right before the film cuts to Nic sitting in a living room as she waits for her friend to return after putting him to bed. As they converse, it becomes glaringly apparent, despite their attempts to lighten the mood, that both women are struggling. While Sam's troubles are pretty straightforward, it is more or less up to the viewer to figure out what is going on with Nic based off the few breadcrumbs we're given. Though Sam loves her son dearly, she is overwhelmed by her responsibilities to him and longs for the freedom and sense of identity that she had before becoming a wife and mother. As for Nic, her dilemma throughout entirety of the film is pretty much left for the viewer to figure out with only two major clues - her reaction when Sam mentions the unseen character Ben and an auditory flashback triggered when she sees her last bit of red wine on her hand after dribbling and wiping it away from the corner of her mouth. Despite her trauma, Nic quickly snaps back to reality when she hears the baby softly crying again upstairs and sees Sam passed out on the couch. She then walks slowly upstairs to the baby's room where she picks him up and slowly soothes him back to sleep with tears streaming down her face.
Overall, Flush is a brilliant short film carried beautifully by its two stars, Sofia Embid and Lauren Chavez-Myers. I must admit my interest in this film was piqued mostly by Sofia after watching her YouTube channel Love Sofia, ASMR and learning that she won the December 2019 Actress of the Month Award at the Monthly Film Festival for her work in this film. Since then, I've watched this film multiple times, and every time I see that final shot of Sofia holding the baby with all that emotion on her face, I just want to reach right through the screen and give her a warm hug. She was absolutely phenomenal in this film. Both she and Lauren did a tremendous job carrying this film with their performances and one can only hope that this film will lead to bigger roles for the two of them over time. 10 out of 10 baby!
Overall, Flush is a brilliant short film carried beautifully by its two stars, Sofia Embid and Lauren Chavez-Myers. I must admit my interest in this film was piqued mostly by Sofia after watching her YouTube channel Love Sofia, ASMR and learning that she won the December 2019 Actress of the Month Award at the Monthly Film Festival for her work in this film. Since then, I've watched this film multiple times, and every time I see that final shot of Sofia holding the baby with all that emotion on her face, I just want to reach right through the screen and give her a warm hug. She was absolutely phenomenal in this film. Both she and Lauren did a tremendous job carrying this film with their performances and one can only hope that this film will lead to bigger roles for the two of them over time. 10 out of 10 baby!