‘Sylvia’ Will Break Your Heart To Pieces…

If you consider yourself strong enough to withstand tearjerkers, then ‘Sylvia’ is for you. If hope, love and compassion are your true calling, then ‘Sylvia’ is for you. If you want to find the good in this world and empathy in other’s sufferings, then ‘Sylvia’ is for you. For this movie pierces your heart with its emotional storyline and heart-tugging performances, like none other. All of us relate to the toys that were our companions during our childhood. A broken toy was enough to elicit our untold wrath; for they were our best friends. They were products devoid of life, but to us, they never remained lifeless. ‘Sylvia’ is one such story of a woman who prizes her car above all else in the world. And, the story is the telling of her journey with and in the car…

The very opening shot introduces us to Sylvia, the car and the family scooped up in her. It’s a typical family. We hear the laughter and the admonishments and it brings a smile to our face. A women tribe, out on an adventure, with candies and ice creams for company.  Jolie Lennon as Mandy is an absolute delight to the eyes. Whether it is her vulnerable self seeking solace in reviving memories of her near and dear ones or the instances where she lets herself loose, she strikes up an instant connect. Her past is an overwhelming tragedy that looms around her; always. But, despite that, she holds on; to her life and all that made her life exquisite and in spite of all the odds, stays strong amidst the roadblocks that pepper her life’s journey.

Sylvia like Mandy has been broken down on more than one occasion and yet she has re-emerged, each time, like the phoenix from the ashes. It doesn’t take long to draw the analogy; that Mandy and Sylvia are alike. Based on a true story, ‘Sylvia’ tugs at one’s heart as it unplugs the most poignant, moving and trying moments of Mandy’s life. Her decision to sell off her prized possession in order to deal with the mounting financial debts doesn’t end the story; in fact proves to be the turning point of another, best left to be experienced by watching the film… ‘Sylvia’ is a film that’s high on emotions replete with good, old family bonding. Brian (Benjamin Hartley), the buyer, also adds lustre to this great story that promises to move hearts of the young and old alike. If you are tired of watching rom-coms and sitcoms then ‘Sylvia’ is meant for you!

The director (Richard Prendergast) has done a very neat job at skillfully extracting the best out of his cast. The music (additional composer Jonathan Hamer) is soulful and serves to incapacitate even those who are restless, thus creating an aura that is hard to resist. The editing (Jack Clayton-Wright) is crisp and makes the 16:53 minutes of footage seem just fitting to its storyline. ‘Sylvia’ is for everyone; it’s moving, poignant and a heart touching tale of a family and the trials and tribulations it undergoes; all seen through the prism of its lead character.

Highly, highly recommended!

Watch Sylvia Short Film Trailer