This short drama depicts an encounter between a young couple and a man dealing with loss.

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Teresa and Luca are walking home from the supermarket, caught in the mundanity of life. Luca is complaining about getting ripped by fake supermarket sales, Teresa is looking for a space from the boring conversation. She finally finds it: a furnished garden. Thinking she just found a yard sale, she convinces Luca to go in and explore the decorations.

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The simple and candid story relies on the contrast between the young love of Luca and Teresa, who are dynamic and expansive and the suffering of the restrained Tommaso, who has lost his partner. In a slow-paced rhythm, the characters get close to each other.  The dialogue is minimal and effective and most important, it really sounds like people talking.  The actors share a good chemistry, an essential thing for a story based on atmosphere.  Below the words, we understand the characters feeling the inflexions in their voices, seeing their gestures or grimaces. These characters are well-rounded and built from a myriad of details.  However, the interpretation lacks a bit of subtlety, stripping the character sof complexity, leaving them trapped in their types- Luca is the merry good-hearted fool,  Teresa is a manic pixie girl, exploring with eyes wide open every new thing she encounters, while Tommaso is a tragic hero, who fails to shown even a slight smile to his new friends. The director plays with contrasts: the banal reality of a couple coming from the supermarket clashes with the mysterious outdoor space Teresa finds, the sadness of the lonely man differs from the youngsters’’ flirtatious mood.

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What I think is the most admirable feature of this short is its dreamy mood, composed of elements from story, cinematography and sound design.  The furnished garden seems to be a quaint, magic space until its mystery is revealed, and the sound of the music box, the moon shot, the playful mood of Teresa all contribute to a feeling of wonder.

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All things considered, “Blues” is a simple and compelling short film about compassion, friendship and ultimately, love, filled with authenticity and romanticism.