It’s 2017, and we’re back with Saturday Shorts! So many decisions for today: go horror? Comedy? Drama? A bit of everything? Mayhaps something positive. Quite by accident, I stumbled upon director Sarah Rotella’s short film You Say Good Morning At Midnight, which was written by Adrianna DiLonardo. Check it out.

Took you a minute before you realized that this entire thing was conveyed without dialogue, huh? Lead actress Justine Nelson had to carry this film on nonverbal communication, and she nailed it. Admittedly, a film whose story takes place primarily over text message is a gamble – it can easily go the way of, well, the boredom associated with watching someone text. However, this film pulls at heart strings through the strength of Nelson, who conveys the stages of a relationship so well through facial expression. For anyone that’s done a long-distance relationship, you’ll know the hallmarks: the smiles at every message; the time differences; the items left behind that smell like the other person; the countdowns; the excitement; the heartache; the waiting; the sorrow of missing someone you love so dearly when you just want to hold them. I liked that this film didn’t sugar coat the downsides; however, it did long-distance some justice by showing the sweetness that can result from such a relationship. It left some hope at the end, too. I watch this short film and hope that our girl gets to go see her beloved. Maybe that’s the optimist in me. If you’ve ever been there – as I currently am – you’ll know that the person on the other end is worth it. If your heart is invested in someone, that person is worth the challenge.

Happy Saturday.