Winner of third place for Best Short Drama at the Indie Gathering, Dandelion Dreams is an effective 22-minute short film about a young man named Michael Gregory (Bryan Patrick McCulley) whose life is unraveling and unravels even further when he's forced to partner up on one of his prime accounts with someone who may or may not be seen as a threat. What ensues is an likely friendship and journey to self-discovery.

Both dramatically resonant and well meaning, Dandelion Dreams is part of Socially Aware Productions, the short film division of Gem Filmworks and an effort to create socially meaningful short cinema with a strong message.

The mission is accomplished here largely owing to Johnathan Gorman's spot-on message and Bryan Patrick McCulley's dramatic yet not over-extending performance as Michael, a man who has gotten caught up in the expectations of others rather than living life for himself. When he taps back into the essence of who he is, the door opens to what essentially amounts as redemption.

The film is beautifully photographed by Michael Carney and Steven Houser, while Gorman keeps the film moving at just the right pace. While there are times that Dandelion Dreams feels a little paint-by-number, I found myself thinking about the indie faith-based film Flywheel at one point, this is a minor quibble for a film with a dramatic message and a tremendous heart.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic