Daniel Bell-Gam’s short film, Are You Really Fine, is a calm, reflective vista of the ocean and a panoply of lovely visuals. It is a work of technical integrity, a beautiful piece with similar subjects to match. Daniel Bell-Gam’s short offers little outside all of this.
The short film, if one might call it that, is a monologue by an unknown character asking after another unknown character’s well-being. Layered beneath the mundane monologue are various happy subjects enjoying the view and ebb of the ocean. Accompanying the monologue is a somber tune for extra effect. Nothing more.
Perhaps it is entirely sentimental, but there is a sour aftertaste of misused potential when style is so heavily favoured over substance, especially when there appears to be some measure of technical talent on display. While the monologue offers general encouragement, it is nothing but another motivational piece. There is no story, no characters, just subjects, and no sense of jeopardy whatsoever. Consider Nickson Kamau’s one-minute documentary, Nalubale, about a young man’s motivating relationship with the ocean, and you see a fine blend of style and story. It is absent here.
In Daniel Bell-Gam, we have a creative with a keen eye for the technical. Hopefully, his subsequent works will give the viewer more narrative bite to chew, something to feed the mind and not just the eyes.
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