To be remembered above all else is the effort that sophomore Duncan Williams put into his first short film, “Looking,” which debuted on June 2 at the Annapolis Mall movie theater. Even among professional filmmakers some projects never reach completion, but Williams persevered, worked on the film after school and sacrificed time to finish this project.
The plot of the movie is reflective of a teen’s struggle– the main character, Molly, is still hurt a year and a half after breaking up with her abusive boyfriend (though the abuse is implied and never fully explored). Feeling isolated from her friends, she becomes depressed. In the end of the film, Molly decides to leave her friends and family to live in Los Angeles, resolving her problems by running away and never ‘looking’ back. This resolution seemed illogical to a blindsided viewer due to the lack of a full explanation of the main character’s problems. Thus, sympathy for Molly is almost impossible because the in-depth development of her character is not there. Further diving into Molly’s issues and internal thoughts certainly would have allowed the viewer to develop a stronger connection to her character. I wanted desperately to be more engaged in the film, but “Looking” suffered at times from this incoherence, as well as questionable editing and cliché tendencies.
Despite flaws regarding the plot, Williams and crew’s cinematography was one of the strongest points of the film. Beautiful montages of Molly exploring woods and beaches added to the stylistic expertise of the show. Yet, some stylistic elements were confusing, such as the frequent cuts to a black screen. Though interesting in concept; it seemed like an unfitting means of transition because it created an uneasy feeling during what should have been a joyful moment in the film. Duncan William’s choice in music to fit each scene, however, was impeccable. The diverse and moving soundtrack, comprised of tracks with cheerful tones and the opposite, gave each scene a different feel.
The entire project and its completion shows promise from Williams. He has the makings of an amazing filmmaker. There are simply some issues that need fixing, such as more development of the story and the characters,. No filmmaker is perfect, but it is through practice that the great ones are made. Legends such as Stanley Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino and Steven Spielberg were, at some point, exactly where Duncan Williams is. I wish you luck on your next film.