A young couple, Caleb & Sarah, who have fallen on hard times, must make the difficult decision to live in their car. On their journey through life they know that there is only one constant, eachother.
Writer-Director Matthew Kyle Levine makes the decision to slowly and dramatically transition from scene to scene throughout the duration of Caleb & Sarah. In these moments I felt frustrated, anxious, and almost a tad annoyed–and I mean this in the best way possible. It appears that Levine makes this decision in order to convey these sentiments to his viewers and allow them to better appreciate the dire situation in which we have found our two titular characters. Like Caleb (Shea Glasheen) and Sarah (Dianna Glasheen), during these transitions viewers are able to understand and appreciate the trauma that this young couple would likely experience during this time in their lives, and we are effectively pulled into their journey in these moments.
Again, Levine does a stellar job of ensuring that viewers are pulled into the film and become incredibly understanding of Sarah and Caleb, but, interestingly, he also makes the decision to rarely pull us in close, using a series of long shots to tell this story. Caleb & Sarah, however, doesn’t falter–but, rather, this decision makes perfect sense. The use of long shots to tell this story allows viewers to see how disconnected the two characters are from society, from the rest of the world–and, once again, we are able to understand and appreciate these characters. That’s effectively the purpose of Caleb & Sarah, to invite us into the lives of others, to see others’ point of view. This film does just that, never failing to deliver in this regard.
Caleb & Sarah contains little dialogue, and I think it’s important that the film not be inundated with words, allowing the characters’ actions to speak for themselves. As a whole, Caleb & Sarah is incredibly simplistic, never attempting to be fancy or over the top. Rather it understands its purpose in cinema: to educate and hit some emotional notes along the way. Levine brilliantly constructs Caleb & Sarah so that the film’s purpose is never lost, and that his intent going into this film is quickly realized. This all stems from those aforementioned qualities, including the limited dialogue.
Rarely does the world of cinema get films like Caleb & Sarah anymore, and that’s why it’s so important that independent films of this nature exist, that filmmakers like Levine and the Glasheens exist and continue to artfully craft necessary media for the world to see. Caleb & Sarah is grounded, beautiful, and just what the world needs.
Written & Directed by Matthew Kyle Levine.
Starring Shea Glasheen, Dianna Glasheen, & Bradford Hoyt.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING
