LETTERS – By Melvin J. Montalban – Short Film Review
Letters is a remarkable commentary on the horrific outcomes that await us if we do not take any actions to mitigate climate change and to conserve the natural resources. Written and directed by Melvin J. Montalban, the short film is ever more relevant today than before and was made as an attempt to urge people to use their political power to support the Climate Change Act. It was released earlier this year to raise awareness about the recurrent fires throughout the world. Due to the global pandemic of COVID-19, the circumstances shown in the film seem too real and too close.
The film starts by showing a child whose face is covered with a mask and eye protection goggles. This visual is not alien to us now because of the corona virus and its consequences. The film shows a future world where the climate crisis has proliferated to an extent where simple human activities have become impossible. But is it really something that will happen in the future or has it already become our reality with the extreme weather events such as fires, cyclones and dust storms limiting our day-to-day chores is a question that will arise in your mind when you see this short film.
The film aptly represents the hazardous air, a result of the climate change, in the form of a dense, dark mustard background. A family comprising of a mother and her two kids are sitting in their car and that seems like the only safe space to breathe in at the moment. The mother stops at a gas station for fuel, gets out of the car with her protective mask on but the power in this city is out too. Yes, it gets more and more real and close to home by every second.
The young girl, shown in the beginning of the film, expresses her wish to post a letter in which she has penned down her concerns for the environmental degradation and insisted on taking actions to mitigate the climate change. However, her journey from the car to the post box is challenge in itself. The air is too heavy with pollutants and hazardous gases and the sky is scary too look at as it is covered with clouds of smoke. It almost seems like the doomsday, but this does not stop the girl from posting her letter to the authorities to save the natural climate of the world. This is exactly what the creators of the film aim to convey to the viewers. If the world is to be saved, everyone has to play their part no matter how small their contribution is or how difficult the circumstances are. Something must be done before its too late is the message of this extremely important short film.
