Sky’s the Limit (Short)
In her film “Sky’s the Limit,” writer-director April Schroer tells a story of a father and son, who are out of sorts since their wife/mother died. For Jason (Timothy J. Cox), it means the possibility of starting over; we first see him filling out an online dating profile. For Frankie (Joseph Di Stefano), it means trying to get his father to partake in the games and adventures his mother was so good at; although we get a sense that Jason took part in them when his wife was still alive, his wife was clearly more of an instigator of the fun had. When Frankie’s babysitter cancels, it means an awkward attempt at combining his love life and life as a dad when Frankie joins him on a date with Kaitlin (Monica Servellon).
It takes some real talent to tell a story in a short amount of time, and “Sky’s the Limit” does just that. I was kind of thrown by what seems like an abrupt conclusion, but Schroer has a sweet father-son relationship to develop quickly, and she does that very well. The performances by Cox and Di Stefano are strong at forming the “bond” between the characters effectively (I’m using quotes because it’s obvious something is missing between father and son without mom there), and in particular, the moment where Frankie tries to get his father to play a game before his date is well staged and acted, as father and son are just not on the same page. It’s a key moment that pays off at the end, when Jason and Frankie find a common thing that helps them connect by the time credits roll. This is a short film that is simply enjoyable to watch– nothing more or less.
