Rosa Brooke's Short Film BIRTHDAY BOY Explores Identity When No One is Paying Attention

Rosa Brooke’s short film BIRTHDAY BOY is about Rae, an artist going through an identity crisis. They’re unsure of their gender, struggling to find success, and starting to feel a little invisible. It’s Rae’s birthday, and when their father Jeff Culliton comes to visit, along with his troubled wife Mandy, things start to deteriorate. Tragedy strikes the house within minutes, but Jeff insists that they stick to the birthday plan: a family meal at his favorite Mexican restaurant. As the day goes on, Rae fights to hold the family together, comfort their grieving partner Alice Russell, keep an eye on the increasingly-drunken Mandy, and deal with the non-stop stress of Jeff’s personality, all while being ignored and misunderstood by everyone around them; until the tension bursts and they finally confront their father, with awkward results. I love how focused this story is in this film, even amongst the chaos. Every scene had a nuance or element that shows us that a person’s identity and presence matters. The cinematography is excellent, but it’s the dialogue and the acting that make this short film shine. It was a joy to watch and contains many life lessons that are brought forth in the most subtle of ways. A must see short film if you are attending a film festival with BIRTHDAY BOY as an official selection. #shortfilm #gender #identity #empathy #trending #film #cinema #filmmaker #filmmaking #filmdirector #filmcritic #entertainment #tribecafilmfestival #LGBTQ #bondoncinema #cinematography #screenwriting #storytelling