THE BEF, 9min., USA
Directed by Eric Burleson
While being pursued by a police officer, a young boy struggles with his
decisions for the baby in his care and how to help his sick mother.

Review by Andie Karvelis

I love films that surprise me. Films that take me on an emotional journey through compassion, sadness, hope, tenderness, suspense, unease and then jaw dropping shock! When a film can do THAT in under 10 minutes, that’s pretty damn amazing! The Bef did exactly that.

Producer and Director Eric Burleson co-wrote this with Matt Noll and they expertly crafted a riveting story. They left clues along the way, but withheld enough to keep you guessing and ingeniously deliver a twist you don’t see coming. Matt Noll also handled the Cinematography and it is beyond perfect. Eric Burleson’s directorial skills are equally as impressive, as was our main actor, Jacob Shapiro who played “Sammy”.

It’s Sammy’s story that we are following and Jacob does an amazing job conveying a wide range of emotion for a young actor. Part of what makes this story so marvelous is the talent of Eric’s directing and Jacob’s acting skills. What helps tie it all together is a great Make-up artist, Nicolete Tereshko and Visual Effects artist, Mitch Reaser. Roy James is so believable as the cop looking for Sammy and Allison Granite gave an incredible performance as the Mom.

This is one of those films I could go back and watch over and over and still find something new that I missed. I’m going to amend my earlier statement, I love clever films that surprise me.

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