The short film Validation, available in it’s entirety on the YouTube, came to my attention via that Cable Television Darling (TM), Kevin Pereira. He tossed it up onto Twitter with the statement that it was a great way to start a Saturday morning.
Validation is the type of story I’m not supposed to like. The emotional arc is blunt, as Love Story was meant to make you feel good by making you feel sad, Validation is attempting to make you feel a good by making you feel good. The characters, specifically the protagonist, are almost completely one-sided, seeming to drift more than grow.
All that being said, the story is exceptionally effective. I found myself smiling when the protagonist was at his best, and feeling bad for him when he broke. I wanted the love interest to acquiesce, and at the point in the third act when the story starts to wrap itself up, I knew the ending and was looking forward to it.
All that in a scant 16 minutes of film. Validation is a strong lesson in sticking to the fundamentals of story.
Bradley Robb likes TV and books, and has an intense dislike for cinnamon. Once, Bradley stopped a Soviet T-60 with his middle finger. Bradley writes speculative fiction and edits Fiction Matters, and never really got the hang of talking about himself in the third person.