Happy Snaps is a short submitted by Tyro Heath, funded by the BFI network. The film follows two young boys, Gabriel (Osian Pirotte) and Sami (Adi Gimziunas), living on the Isle of Sheppey. Gabriel has Cerebral Palsy. The title is a reference to the kids taking pictures with one of those made-for-children cameras (one rule: no funny faces).
It’s the boys final days together before Gabriel moves to Newcastle. He tells Sami it’s a move for his mum’s new job. In truth, there are other reasons for the relocation. It’s a heart-warming short that captures the tumult of close childhood friendship—casting your mind back to a time where a friend moving away was a particularly devastating personal sleight.
Adi Gimziunas and Osian Pirotte give believably lively leading performances. They take us on an exploration through the coastal town setting from the under 5-foot vantage of a kid. It captures the seemingly random adventures that kids embark on to pass the time perfectly.
The dialogue is childish. It’s fittingly unfiltered and innocent. Writing with this blunt and curious approach whilst addressing the major experience of growing up with a medical disability is both interesting and deeply important. Again, the impactful dialogue is brought to life by both leading child actors (there’s also the brief appearance of a frog actor—so cute!). They make up the backdrop of the story by interacting with the scenery in a messy, playful way. I touched on how raw the footage of them adventuring and making up games is but also want to add it really showcases how uniquely creative the boys are. The central conflict weaves between the games.
The emotional processing both boys navigate is unique to their age and differing circumstances. An example of the film’s understanding of emotional processing is one where they discuss Gabriel’s move in a group. It’s a scene in which the kids’ friends are sitting in the car and are figuring out who will sit next to Sami after Gabriel moves. The other kids are asking him questions about how much better Newcastle will be. Sami feels left out and jealous, misunderstanding the honest circumstances of Gabriel’s move.
When taking a picture of all the other kids together, Sami throws the camera after taking it. Something in both the pacing and the direction of this scene was an entirely organic representation. It was a believable scene of both kids reckoning with their uncomfortable feelings.
There is never too much conflict, more innocent misunderstanding. An atmosphere complimented by other elements of the filmmaking. The score of this short is (for one thing really lovely) dreamy and the colours match, the world remains soft and habitable throughout. I like that the short was totally warm and altogether positive and uplifting. That is a challenging feat to accomplish when tackling the thoughts and feelings of kids dealing with uncertainty and bravery. It was so much appreciated to watch the boys come to understand each other in a resolution.
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