Fingernail Moon is an ambitious short film from first-time filmmaker Kieren van den Blink. The movie is a slice of life set in van den Blink’s hometown of Hightstown, New Jersey. The short tracks the reunion of two old friends who have something deeply in common. Opening with a sweeping drone shot of a convertible making its way to Hightstown on a warm summer evening, van den Blink’s film immediately gives you a sense of innocence.
Hannah Mae Sturges, van den Blink’s lead actress, brings the same innocence from the instant she is onscreen. It’s clear her character Sam has an aching crush on her confidant and old friend Ted, played deftly by Tyler Cook. Cook’s acting ability and ease in front of the camera stands out in a project that has lovely intentions, but sometimes feels like it bit off more than it can chew.
Ted is back in town and has just taken Sam for ice cream — an accurate snack for the very Americana setting of Hightstown. They make a pit stop in front of a church and share their hopes, dreams and everything in between. It’s clear Sam’s puppy love might soon run its course as Ted confesses his ambitions don’t seem to run beyond really enjoying marijuana. Meanwhile, Sam feels like she might not belong in such a small but charming place. She’s a top student, an athlete, the star of the school play; Hightstown perhaps already feels too small for her.
Director van den Blink stated that the film is a direct lift from her life. Ted is based on her high school crush and Sam is a version of her 17-year-old self coping with some of the heaviest moments of her life. Van den Blink also hopes for Sam to transcend her personal story into one that others who have experienced loss can connect to.
Eventually, Sam and Ted hit upon what haunts them both in the most emotionally resonant moment of the movie: Sam stops and asks Ted, “What’s it like?” The moment has been set up expertly. The audience is led to believe that a question like this coming from a crushee to a crush is expected. It’s that predictive romantic comedy moment; is Sam asking what sex is like? Is she asking what college is like? Is she asking what adulthood is like? In a wonderful reversal of expectation, Sam is asking what it’s like to have your mom die. It turns out Ted is an expert in the matter, and it becomes clear Sam is about to experience the same.
Where Fingernail Moon slightly falters is in its attempt to achieve the short all in one take. While the notion of giving a slice of life in one ambitious shot is lovely, the achievement of such a feat is not an easy one — especially on a first outing for a director. While the script and performances of the piece are quite good, moments of cutting on action or on sound could have allowed the actors to breathe and given the audience a chance to process the heavy beats that come with the impending loss of innocence for Sam.
A fingernail moon is either waxing or waning; it’s the end of a cycle or the beginning of a new one. For Sam, she’s about to experience both all at once. She doesn’t get a do-over of this time and place as much as she might want one, which perhaps is the exact point of the ambitious one-take at the center of this short after all. Ultimately, Fingernail Moon reminds you when you are thrown a curve ball, at the very least know that you will eventually get to begin again.