In writer/director Connor O'Hara's just over 16-minute short film Infinite, a young man, Sid (George MacKay, Pride)  in his last months of life calls upon his closest friends to ensure the infinite nature of his existence through the assembly of five key elements from his life.

If it sounds like Infinite may be rather otherworldly, the opposite is quite actually true. Infinite is an intelligently written and grounded film celebrating the core of male friendships and the coming-of-age of a group of young men dealing with tragedy and loss. I always abhor the phrase "slice of life," yet Infinite really is just a glimpse into the journey of these young men, all experiencing different thoughts and feelings and reactions to their friend's prognosis. While one may expect for Infinite to be a somber affair, and it certainly possesses those moments, if one's ever traveled a life journey similar to this one then it won't come as a surprise that the film is mostly filled with warmth and intimacy, humor and heart, thoughtful reflection and decisive action.

It is, in essence, true to how we as human beings tend to respond to these types of situations.

Filmed largely on a Kickstarter raised budget, the U.K. shot Infinite possesses a fine ensemble cast alongside MacKay including Rory J. Saper (The Legend of Tarzan), Alex Esmail (Attack the Block), Elliott James Langridge (television's Hollyoaks), and Alex Lincoln (the upcoming Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur). While it is the nature of low-budget indies that chemistry can often feel a tad off, O'Hara has assembled a cast with tremendous chemistry and, it would seem, a willingness to delve into the intimate and universal aspects of male friendships that are not very often portrayed authentically on the big screen.

The lensing, by Thomas Bowles and Jerome Smith, is gentle and intimate and focused squarely upon the faces of these young men rather than their surroundings. Two-time Oscar winner for Set Decoration Peter Young (Batman, Sleepy Hollow) has given the film's set a life of its own with the kind of emotional enveloping that makes you believe that Sid is planting amongst his friends an experience for the ages.

Infinite is just getting prepared for its festival run, a run that will follow that of O'Hara's last film, the acclaimed short film Wander. With its intimate story and universal themes, Infinite should have no problem experiencing just as much, if not more, success on the film festival circuit. For more information on the film, visit the Lowkey Films website linked to in the credits.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic