Two young boys are threatened at school.


MAN OF THE HARVEST is used with permission from Orion Eshel and Luther Clayton. Learn more at   / manoftheharvest  .


Owen and Kevin are two young teens and best friends who have a brotherly bond. Both sensitive and artistic, they love exploring nature, hanging out, talking, playing music and writing.

They're both just beginning to delve into the beauty and wonder of the world around them as budding creative souls and explorers. But when an active shooter enters their school one afternoon, that lovely, fragile world and the power of their friendship is threatened.

Directed and written by Orion Eshel and Luther Clayton, this powerful short drama takes on the heavy-hitting subject of gun violence in schools. But while many dramas on the subject have captured the intensity and brutality of the experience in often visceral ways, this narrative does something different, focusing instead on the textures, emotions and sensations of being young -- and then rupturing that spirit of innocence and exploration with unspeakable acts of violence.

Using lyrical and beautiful visuals and graceful camera movements, the film begins with Owen and Kevin spending time in a forest, with Kevin reciting a poem he'll later deliver in class. It's an earnest, quietly peaceful opening, showing both the profound bond between the friends, their introspective, soulful characters and the untouched innocence of their lives. But then the writing and editing begins weaving this interlude with tense scenes of Owen at school in the aftermath of a crisis. It only takes a few moments to realize just what has happened at school -- and that Owen is alone, without Kevin.

The storytelling gently oscillates between the school scenes and the nature ones, slowly building character and suspense as we wonder about Kevin's fate. Actors Gabriel Bateman and Elisha Henig as Owen and Kevin, respectively, both bring restraint and precision to their performances, achieving a depth and dignity that's uncommon for young characters, especially in shorts. But what's especially powerful is that we get a sense of their potentiality, and glimpse the interesting adults they could grow into. This potentiality makes it all the more quietly harrowing as the film's final movement catches up with Kevin, and we unravel his fate.

Beautiful, devastating and unforgettable, MAN OF THE HARVEST was made by two filmmakers who themselves were teenagers during the film's production. Their youth -- as part of a generation growing up directly in the shadow of horrible acts -- lends a moral and emotional perspective to the film, giving voice and shape to just how this kind of violence disrupts the natural process of exploration and growing up. We constantly iterate as a culture that children need a sense of security to mature healthily. In focusing on creating a story that gives weight to the rich inner lives of young teens, the film makes clear just what young people lose out on when their lives are interrupted by the anxiety and fear of violence, both by what they experience directly and what they hear about on the news.