Kyle Laursen’s short film Josiah is a film of passion, albeit a passion which bubbles, which underlines what is happening, a passion that conducts actions, a passion that doesn’t erupt but nonetheless, a passion that is critical. Brandon, who is played by Luke Forbes, is auditioning for a role in a typical Hollywood setting. The short explores the typicality of the setting by shooting the majority of the film in one swooping take. The camera ebbs and flows between the actor auditioning and others watching. The fluid motion of the camera ignites the flames which stoke the passion of the piece. The contents of the script and dynamism of the audition further fuel this.

Both the short by Laursen and the film, which Brandon is auditioning for are projects which seek to come to terms with a systemic call for change within the US. Where the two projects diverge is the execution and end goal. Josiah combats problems in modern day Hollywood with an inventive and charged take on the audition situation. The film Brandon is auditioning for is a historical piece which must keep its accuracy and integrity, no matter what…

Kevin Dunn plays the writer/director who dictates from his chair or when he paces up and down in a Napoleonic fashion. The generation gap between Dunn’s character and the others is sizeable. It is Laursen’s intention to portray the director as more traditional, belonging to a different, less lenient generation. The off-hand treatment of the production assistant (Melanie Chandra) shows his (Dunn) views towards women and/or who he deems subordinates. It is in fact Chandra’s character that brings up the equivocal point when she debates the use of racist language. It is understood that language of the era (civil war) is used for historical accuracy but that it does not need to be used in the auditioning process. The generation gap is further exposed when the director defends his decision for artistic integrity. The short explores this – everyone in the room roles over to this statement and the director gets what he wants.

At one point the camera changes to that of a camcorder and at that point we are in the room. The intimacy is claustrophobic, we are now trapped in the room. On his way to the audition, head phones in, he was happy in his own bubble until the audition burst it. This offering, of the processes that Hollywood goes through and the toll it can take on black actors auditioning for historical parts, is illuminating as much as it is unbearable.

In the scene that they are rehearsing Josiah is talking to his old master, who granted him his freedom, the director demands that Josiah is angry at his former master, yet it is tempered by love and respect for the man. I can’t help but take this relationship, Josiah’s relationship of anger, love, and respect as a metaphor for the relationship of black, minority and ethnic peoples in America with their own country.

Director: Kyle Laursen
Writer: Kyle Laursen
Stars: Melanie Chandra, Kevin Dunn, Luke Forbes
William Rotherforth
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