More Perfect Union (Short)
As one might expect, “More Perfect Union” is a title that has more than one meaning when it comes to Matt Porter’s short film. On the one hand, it refers to the notion of creating a “more perfect union” when it comes to the United States, as Hank (the main character) has come to a small town to learn more about an ancestor who fought in the Civil War. On the other hand, it’s about relationships, and how to repair them when something is primed to destroy something special.
Hank (Max Azulay) is an architect who is comes to a bed and breakfast run by an Indian couple in Virginia. As mentioned before, he’s come to do research on an ancestor of his, a colonel, who fought for the North in the Civil War. It’s a planned trip, but he’s come in a fit of frustration after a fight with his girlfriend. Now, he’s alone with his guitar, some beer, and a lovely couple (Arish Sahani and Neena Sahani) who might be able to help him fix his relationship if he doesn’t help screw theirs up first.
The screenplay by Porter, Phil Primason, and Azulay follows a through line to an almost inevitable conclusion and realization by Hank. The more one thinks about the film, the more one realizes that there aren’t really any surprises in store for the viewer (save for maybe one), but surprises aren’t what make a film like this engaging. That comes down to how smart the writing is, and how strong the performances are, and in both cases, “More Perfect Union” succeeds in telling a fun, witty tale of figuring out that not everything is black-and-white in life, and bumps in the road are inevitable on the way to happiness.
