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A Rose for the Little Lady—Three Stars

33min

Rob Forbes—Director, Georgia

Courtyard Gallery, Friday Febuary 15, 2008, 8pm

Reviewed by Jack Moe

Having sat through my share of film festival entries, I’m almost inclined to give Rob Forbes’s A Rose for the Little Lady—a short film winner of this year’s Twin Rivers Media Festival—four stars. No, it’s not the best short entry I’ve ever seen from a film festival, but it’s well paced and most enjoyable. What it lacks in polish—and it does lack in polish—it tends to make up in high spirits and a well told story line.

A Rose For The Little Lady is a powerfully-visual cinematic illustration of the phrase, 'Choices are defining moments which will ultimately determine one's destiny.' This short film chronicles the lives of three people for seven years after they leave high school. It is a story about “real life”---the choices we make, and the consequences we must face.

Ricky Stanley is a star high school quarterback who is being scouted by several top ten colleges. In the final seconds of his team’s homecoming game in his senior year, he falls victim to a leg injury that ends his hopes of someday playing in the NFL.Real life does not wait, of course---and Ricky's true character is revealed as he struggles to move on with his life.

 A pregnant waitress, desperately hoping for a good Christmas, struggles for every tip. Although she finds herself caught up in a hectic day that would discourage most people, she chooses to find a way to be friendly with everyone who crosses her path. In the end her choices pay off in small but poignant way.

In contrast, Ricky's teammate, Chuck 'Take It To The Bank' Behovic, wallows in the misery he inevitably creates for himself. His relentless pursuit of bad choices has followed him all his life. Fortunately, it’s also smart enough not to let itself become too predictable.

 A Rose For The Little Lady shows how the fate of three people is intertwined as a direct result of their collective choices.  My rating for this film is Three Stars and the filmmaker will be present at the screening at the Courtyard Gallery, at 9 Walnut St.  Friday night. The screenings will start at 8pm.