“Field Day” directed by critically acclaimed filmmaker Kevin Hart narrates a journey of a lonely widower who wants to see her beloved daughter Charlotte. One fine day, he goes to work with his car. On the way he stops to explore a field. But to his surprise, he discovered that he can’t return. This forms the crux of the Kevin Hart directed and Steef Stealy shot and edited critically acclaimed film “Field Day.”
The film stars an ensemble cast of John C. Ashton, Jenna Moll Reyes, Arlene Hicks, Tupper Cullum, Justin Gardner and many more.
Director’s Cut
Kevin Hart is one of the known names in the independent filmmaking circuit. Coming from Denver, Colorado, he wrote and directed the 2016 feature film “Mr. Mental.” The film won in the best feature category of the Colorado Film & Video Association, 2019. His frequent collaborator Steef Stealy directed the film.
Apart from this, Kevin was also a part of the critically acclaimed short film “The Meeting” which won several awards. Apart from making films, he also excels in acting. He has acted in some films like “Mindkiller” (1987) and “Lone Wolf” (1988). His recent short film “Field Day” won the best short film in the main category of the Elegant International Film Festival.
Overview
The film opens with a serene piano tune. We see Charlotte (Jenna Moll Reyes), the beloved daughter of the old widowed Tom (John C. Ashton). But it was a dream. He gets up and performs his daily activities before going to work. We learn that he is living alone and longing to see his daughter. Tom calls Charlotte but nobody picks up. He sends a heartfelt voice message before going out.
While driving, he comes across a beggar (Tupper Cullum) who wants help from Tom. Instead of helping the poor, Tom drives away. But soon he saves himself from getting into a crash with another car. He stops near an empty field and gets out. He sees his deceased wife (Arlene Hicks) who wants him to get in the car. To his surprise, he sees himself dead inside the car. Realising that he died in the car crash, Tom ventures into the empty field. He even gets a call from Charlotte. But as he is dead, he cannot pick it up.
In the night, Tom finds that same old beggar who wanted help from Tom. Now, realising his mistake, Tom helps the beggar who fell down on the ground due to tiredness.
As the Sun rises, Tom walks again and finds himself beside a road. He kept walking and reached his home. Before realising anything, he wakes up from the alarm. He was dreaming all these.
After getting ready he goes to work as usual only to find that he did not get out of that empty field. He again sees himself dead in his car. Now he realises that he fell into an endless loop and he’ll never be able to get out of the field.
Review
Director Kevin Hart masterfully shows the complex concept of a loop. The story is simple and you can resonate with it. There is surreal treatment throughout the film which can get a little confusing for everyone. The serene visuals captured by Steef Stealy is really commendable with the performance by the veteran actor John C. Ashton.He portrayed the character with a great sense and emotion. Music composed by Luke Halpin perfectly goes with the overall tone of the film.
Conclusion
Overall, Kevin Hart directed short film “Field Day” is a tale of an old man who fell into the purgatorial loop. With great performances, the film will stay with you for a long time.
