The Sweet Hand of the White Rose (Short)
“This is my story…”
Two very different stories seem to begin with these words in writer-director Davide Melini’s superb short film, “The Sweet Hand of the White Rose.” And indeed, the middle portion of the film feels like a dark horror movie before turning into something else. The story Melini tells, however, is a horror tale in a way, as it tracks a man (Carlos Bahos) as he is driving home after a fight with his girlfriend, and a young girl (Natasha Machuca) who is on her way home from the park. Their lives collide on the same stretch of road, and neither are the same after. How Melini tells their stories in this film is imaginative and visually dramatic, and although the “message” at the end of the film feels a bit heavy-handed, it’s shot through with feeling that makes it go straight to your heart. It’s a moving and beautiful film.
