From director M. Legend Brown and Poor Child Films comes this somber 15 minute short that covers varying directions within the realm of adolescence. A simple film with aspirations for high drama, Arthur, Autumn & A Violin is about a young girl named Autumn who is rebelling against her father and refuses to speak in front of him. So, every day she goes down to the business district to play the violin with Arthur, an elderly black man who guides her in playing the violin. The two sit outside of buildings and play for money so that Arthur can survive. However, Autumn's father hates Arthur and will do anything to put a stop to this situation and and hear his daughter's voice once again. Arthur, having moved away from his daughter's home and residing on the street, thinks the world of the young Autumn and looks to help her express herself through music. With her father becoming more relentless in his question to end this relationship, what will it take to break Autumn's silence and what will bring each of these families back together?

Although Arthur, Autumn... may not be an overly complex film, I do have to credit the filmmakers for doing a fine job in crafting an independent short that doesn't look "cheap" by conventional standards. It is shot on digital video apparently, but it looks absolutely gorgeous in the levels of detail that the camera picks up. There are also a few stylish and interesting framing choices made throughout that ultimately give it a nice visual appeal and aesthetic. I think if there's an issue I have with the short, it's that the time we spend with these characters doesn't seem long enough to really get inside of their emotional state. I do think that it can be done in this format, however the way the project breaks down its as if the drama is heightened to such a degree at the very start that it ultimately implodes upon itself rather than explodes with the audience. There is a big payoff towards the end that is supposed to feel like a moment of great relief as we see the end result of the drama that came before, but the establishment of these characters as real human beings and their burdens just seems a little forced. The performances were not terrible, but if maybe the father character was tuned down a little at the start - his gradual movement into obsession could have come across as more rewarding.

It isn't a bad short mind you, it certainly shows some promise on the part of the director and I'd say that many pieces of the cast really worked in their roles. I particularly enjoyed the young actress who played Autumn and the older gentleman who played Arthur. These two had chemistry working together and really helped seal the project together. The sequence between Arthur and his daughter where he tentatively talks about being a part of her life again is also another really solid scene of dramatic content.

In the end Arthur, Autumn & A Violin is a step in an interesting direction for the filmmakers and works as a nice experiment in both drama and crafting a visually engaging film. I'd be very interested in checking out more from the director! You can read more about his work at the official site http://www.poorchildfilms.com.