The moment many of us have been waiting for is finally here — the culmination of many months of work has finally become one stellar final product. The short film Stitches directed by Mike Eisenberg was released online today and is ready for your viewing pleasure. As you may have seen from my last post about the film which contained the Stitches teaser, I was involved with this project as the Script Supervisor.

But if there’s one thing I pride myself on, it’s an unbiased (as much as I can be) critical eye and brutal honesty — that’s why I always have issues with everything I’ve created. So despite my own affection for this project and my involvement in it, stepping back as a ‘movie critic’ with a love for cinema, I must say that Stitches is truly a bold statement from Mike Eisenberg — the man can tell stories.

Like I said above, if you want to read some of my behind the scenes observations, check out my Movie Making post which also contains the teaser. If you are here to finally watch Stitches, check it out. Below that I’ll finish the post off with a brief movie review. Kind of cool right, you watch the entire movie and instantly get my review (in a car salesman’s voice).

For best viewing experience, let the video load and play in the 108op full screen.

The most remarkable thing about Stitches is how personal it feels. Eisenberg collaborated with Writer/Director of Photography Mitch Koepp to make this story tug on your heart strings — this feat is even more striking considering the movie is under fifteen minutes long. Even despite only spending minutes with Sam and his grandpa, the makeup of these characters and their relationship is crafted wonderfully throughout the story.

Every time Sam walks into the church to say goodbye to the man he loved so dearly it leaves tears welling up in my watching eyes — the well-paced slow motion shot and perfectly orchestrated track by Teddy Blass make this interior church scene my favorite of the movie. And Blass really did wonders with the music in Stitches complimenting the images so well.

Eisenberg was able to draw from his personal experiences having lost his father at a young age — Stitches is dedicated to John Eisenberg and was also released on Father’s Day 2012. The 27 year-old Director is also is familiar with a love for baseball having played in the minor league system for the Cleveland Indians. Because of this being almost a personal story for Eisenberg, Stitches is able to say so much despite only being a short film.

As a filmmaker, I respect Mike Eisenberg very much. He doesn’t only have a commendable work ethic behind the scenes, but he also has an artistic eye for what he is trying to say — the camerawork in Stitches was really a joy. Even seeing all the guts that went into making this movie, the final product is still a visceral experience.

My only grievances with the project are based on personal taste — Eisenberg chose to do something differently from how I would ultimately make it. Every director/storyteller is different. But really, that is just the nit-picking critical eye I was briefing you on earlier. I can’t help it.

Overall, Stitches is a well made emotionally heavy short film definitely worth fifteen minutes of your time. This project was made with a lot of passion and that is apparent after all is said and done. Tall Tale Productions has submitted the project to many film festivals, so keep your eye out for more news regarding potential screenings and success. I’m proud to have the chance to post Stitches here for you all and give it a brief review, and I’m even more proud to have been a part of its creation.

What Should You Do? You should really spread this post so others can see Stitches. You should tell others about Stitches.  You should buy Stitches. If you are interested in a hard copy of the film, Blu-Ray or DVD you can email talltalemail@gmail.com for more information.

 

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery