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A "zori" is a Japanese type of sandal or flip-flop. An essential piece of clothing if you live in the tropics. That is why, when Labro (Maxter Tarkwon) loses one of his, his grandmother gives him the above ultimatum as she sends him out to clean "everywhere".
This short from Marshall Islands, follows the efforts of the kid to find his missing "zori", all while he completes his daily chore of cleaning up. In the process, he picks up different items that he considers valuable and spark his imagination. If he does well, the promise of eating some ice cream lies ahead.
This is evidently a very simple short film. The performances aren't great and the editing feels amateurish. However, despite its simplicity, there seems to be heart put into it and there's a charm to Tarkwon's performance. Directors Suzanne Chutaro and Jack Niedenthal also have a good sense of blocking and framing their shots.
There might not be much to this other than a poor kid looking for a flip-flop, but deep down, there's a lesson about putting effort into something and learning to make do with what you can find. Who knows? It might be enough for an ice cream and a proud grandmother.
Grade:
ZORI
(2013, Chutaro & Niedenthal)
(2013, Chutaro & Niedenthal)
"Don't come back to the house unless you have both zoris in your feet."
A "zori" is a Japanese type of sandal or flip-flop. An essential piece of clothing if you live in the tropics. That is why, when Labro (Maxter Tarkwon) loses one of his, his grandmother gives him the above ultimatum as she sends him out to clean "everywhere".
This short from Marshall Islands, follows the efforts of the kid to find his missing "zori", all while he completes his daily chore of cleaning up. In the process, he picks up different items that he considers valuable and spark his imagination. If he does well, the promise of eating some ice cream lies ahead.
This is evidently a very simple short film. The performances aren't great and the editing feels amateurish. However, despite its simplicity, there seems to be heart put into it and there's a charm to Tarkwon's performance. Directors Suzanne Chutaro and Jack Niedenthal also have a good sense of blocking and framing their shots.
There might not be much to this other than a poor kid looking for a flip-flop, but deep down, there's a lesson about putting effort into something and learning to make do with what you can find. Who knows? It might be enough for an ice cream and a proud grandmother.
Grade: