Positive Discrimination (Short)
“Positive Discrimination” is an interesting title. We have the story of a cop, a prostitute and an old man whose lives are not as clear-cut as they initially appear. A lot of people see the old man (Liam Burke), and want to help him; when he’s crossing the street, a young woman takes his hand, and when he stops in front of a church to give a blessing, dropping a bag he is carrying, a young man picks it up for him. He looks feeble, but as we’ll discover, he is hiding a person stronger than he seems. Meanwhile, Tanya (the prostitute, played by Roisin O’Donovan) seems to be an average student with her friends, but financial burdens have forced her to make some difficult decisions to make ends meet. And then there’s the detective (Niall Dempsey), who seems to be a guy simply doing his job as best he can. When he picks up Tanya on the streets in the opening scene, it feels like he is just harassing her, but we’ll later learn he has something else in mind for her.
Writer-director Charlo Johnson’s film is about outside perceptions not being indicative of the people they are inside, or have become through circumstances. In the cases of all three of our protagonists, there’s something hidden that would either embarrass or horrify people if they found out the truth, but is it reflective of who the person really is? Tanya is sweet and kind, but she’s had to resort to an uncomfortable way of living to survive financially. The detective seems on the up and up, but could he be capable of circumventing the law to accomplish his goals? As for the old man, well, the poster attached to this review gives you some idea of what his truth is. Johnson’s film is smart and engrossing; we think it will be headed in one way, but it goes in a very different one. More than that, it sticks with you when it leads you down it’s unexpected path. You’ll be surprised by where it takes you.
POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION [2015] Short Film Trailer from Zimmerhands on Vimeo.
