In writer/director Joe McClean's admittedly personal 11-minute short film Strangers, Brendan Brandt plays Dave, a young man meeting for coffee with the father he's never met (T.R. Shields III). With more than a little attitude, he comes to full-on address his unresolved "daddy issues" but has no idea that this man will teach him a lesson.

In his intro to the film for The Independent Critic, McClean acknowledged the personal nature of the film and its important in his own life as he approached fatherhood. That kind of intimacy, even if I hadn't been aware of it going into the film, would have been obvious as the film has a less theatrical and more authentic, laid back vibe that makes the back-and-forth dialogue just a little more awkward. By no means a perfect film, Strangers is a solid effort and a tremendous example of the power of film to improve the lives of both its audience and those who are making it. The film had its fest premiere at the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival and continues on the fest circuit.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic