Creator/Director/Producer – Chad Eric Smith

Editor – Kevin J

Producer – MisterDuke Productions

Rumination has a realistic concept, mixed in with the topic of time travel, that mostly anyone can relate to. Once you define the title this short can really hit home. Rumination means “focused attention on the symptoms of one’s distress, and on its possible causes and consequences, as opposed to its solutions.”  I have to give it to Chad Eric Smith on how he zeroed in on this particular concept.

Elliot, the main character within this short film, takes us with him as he focuses on and tries to deal with the consequences of an event that has basically crippled him. With every coping skill and tool that he can attempt to use, he still can’t find a way to get past this one event. He takes you through the happier times that he desires, as he shares those memories visually. His focus causes him to show a lack of good judgment despite the appearance of being a sane and functioning individual.

Smith has used every visual tool to depict the obsession that consumes Elliot, causing him to ignore or not notice obvious warning signs. Signs that a person would have caught on to immediately. The acting assists with enhancing the depiction of the situation, while making one think about being in such a situation. This causes a viewer to stop and think of a situation that has caused them to suffer from the symptoms of rumination. This journey is also helped along by the wonderfully placed music selection, which enhances the experience of this short. I feel I have to mention the flawless editing of Kevin J. which assists with adding to our accompaniment of Elliot’s journey.

What I enjoy most about this particular short is that it left me questioning this particular visual and emotional journey. Those particular questions left me wanting to see more of Elliot’s journey. Did his lack of judgment actually work out in his benefit? Did he make things actually worse for himself? I can only assume Chad Eric Smith can answer those questions. Check out Rumination and see if you agree.

Judith Joachim-Swanson is an aspiring writer. She is an independent, freelance blogger, and you can find her other work here. She is also a self-published indie writer of Cigarette (The Catcher Series Book 1) which incorporate a steampunk Sci-fi theme.