Some Boys Don't Leave, a short film about being the one left behind

Some Boys Don't Leave, A-


Some Boys Don't Leave is an excellent short film about when there's a breakup, but one party can't break away. Jesse Eisenberg plays a boy going through denial about being left by his girlfriend. Both Eisenberg and his counterpart Eloise Mumford play their parts phenomenally, especially with manipulating their voices (Eloise has one shrill scream that really stopped me in my tracks). While the film wanders about different situations, it always comes back to the single image of The Boy sitting and waiting. He's waiting, and he has no idea what he's waiting for. Maybe waiting for The Girl to come to her senses, or waiting to be ready to leave and move on, maybe waiting to die. All he knows is he's waiting, and he will continue to until he's bashed over the head by some catalyst. 



Throughout the film, The Boy is playing with a bright yellow tennis ball. He never really lets the ball out of his sight, always bouncing it or squeezing it. The ball is a beautiful metaphor for The Boy's situation. He really is kind of like a bouncing tennis ball. The breakup (the catalyst) starts as the throwing of the ball, and then I imagine it bounces down a road. It jumps about, vulnerable to any crack in the road, almost waiting to be thrown off course. If it hits the wrong bump in the road or pebble, it could spin out of control (in this case, it'd hopefully be a good thing, like finding someone or something new to consume him). 


The film ends on very upbeat music (this and all other music is written by Kiley's husband, Matthew Puckett, all of which is excellent and used very well in the film). I love this almost subtle message (which Kiley mentions briefs in my interview with her: http://tinyurl.com/4sjxlaa ).  She says that the point is "... so we were left knowing he was going to be okay." I think it's even more than that. The song and/or moment curiously reminded me of when Tom is in this similar distraught period in the film (500) Days of Summer. He sits in bed bouncing a TENNIS BALL, and suddenly (over the equally energetic "Vagabond" by Wolfmother) he begins his life anew. He starts getting his life back on track and starts pursuing his previous passion, architecture. I like to think that The Boy in Some Boys Don't Leave is starting anew, either going back to what he once loved, or finding something new. 


Kiley is currently working on her first feature length film, which is called Light Years. It's the feature length version of this short film.