Blue Hour
2023 · 16m · USA
Directed by J.D. Shields
Genres: drama
Tones: contemplative, melancholic, tender
A struggling young photographer takes a cheap last-minute portrait gig, only to discover she's been hired for a bereavement photoshoot for a mother and her son. The transient encounter leaves an indelible mark on both women.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Bereavement photography for parents losing a child is a genuinely rare subject and the right kind of small-stakes encounter for a short. SOTW will pitch it as inspirational but the topic is harder than that.
Bereavement photography — particularly for infant loss — is genuinely uncharted cinematic territory, and the transient-encounter framework belongs to the lineage of The Phone Call and Aftersun. A subject this delicate demands restraint, which the comparisons suggest the filmmaker possesses.
Bereavement photography for a parent who's lost a child is a subject most films wouldn't touch — that alone earns attention. Sixteen-minute two-hander between a struggling photographer and a grieving mother needs both performances to carry it; can't verify those from the page summary.
Reviews
Tender in its narrative, Blue Hour uses a smart double entendre in its title — referring to both the photographic golden hour and a moment of profound sadness — revealing character through visuals and actions rather than exposition.
A meditation on the intensity of transitory moments, the fleeting exchanges and interactions that have the power to alter your mood, day or life.
Festivals
- Brooklyn Film Festival 2023
- HollyShorts Film Festival 2023
- SCAD Savannah Film Festival 2023, Student Narrative Shorts Jury Award
- Cleveland International Film Festival 2023
- Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival 2023, Best American Indie Short
- Milwaukee Short Film Festival 2023, Best Film, Best Actor (Doyin Domingo)
- Norwich Film Festival 2023
- Pan African Film Festival 2024
- Durango Independent Film Festival 2024, Best Narrative Short
- Fargo Film Festival 2024, Best Screenplay
- Baltimore International Black Film Festival 2024, Best Drama Short