Yamashiro LIVE!

A young man, Yamashiro (Aiden Yobear), struggling with his mental health, traverses the busy city streets–attempting to find his way. A romantic relationship, a job as a musician, a normal existence–all things that this young man attempts to accomplish throughout the course of Yamashiro LIVE!, all things that continue to evade him. Will he find his way?

Toward the start of the twenty-minute short film, the credits begin, for lack of a better word, rolling. The credits appear throughout a good portion of Yamashiro LIVE! (around five minutes or so), and they are far too frumpy for this film. The font used is large and challenging to read, and as the credits appear and disappear throughout the course of the film, I struggled to pay attention to things happening behind them. Had there been a break in the narrative, had the length of the credits been shortened, or had this team made a different decision regarding how to introduce the cast and crew of Yamashiro LIVE!, it may not have been such an issue, but that issue exists nonetheless. 

Yamashiro LIVE! is incredibly invasive, making the journey through the film massively uncomfortable. While viewers follow Yamashiro on his journey through self discovery (or self sabotage), we are forced to encounter his struggles as if we, too, were experiencing them. Oftentimes we are forced in between characters, forced to hear every word, every seemingly inconsequential utterance spewed from the young man and his counterparts. Yamashiro LIVE! will make you uncomfortable, it will become dizzying–and Writer-Directors Max Naum and Blake James Reid do a spectacular job of ensuring that this feeling of discomfort never subsides–that we are part of this journey. 

Much of this film feels unscripted. I obviously can’t speak to whether or not this is actually the case with Yamashiro LIVE!, but the reality of it all is that this feeling helps to propel the film forward and make nearly everything that plays out before viewers feel more honest and realistic. Regardless of who Yamashiro is speaking to during Yamashiro LIVE! viewers are always presented with a sense of realism that draws us into the narrative and into this rocky, painstaking journey. 

Naum and Reid use juxtapositional tones and color schemes during Yamashiro LIVE! in order to make their purpose known. At the heart of Yamashiro LIVE! is a story about mental health and someone struggling with it. It’s important that, beyond all of the technical aspects of this film, viewers are able to appreciate and understand the sentiment behind the young man’s struggles–and the use of color (and sometimes lack thereof) allows viewers access to the protagonist’s state of mind. 

Naum and Reid do a great job of allowing viewers to navigate Yamashiro LIVE!, even if they do almost sabotage themselves in the early going. They use their knowledge of filmmaking to make this film as down to earth and accessible as possible–and they are successful nearly every step of the way. Through the uncomfortability of Yamashiro LIVE!, viewers understand and appreciate this trek into the world of mental health. 

Written & Directed by Max Naum & Blake James Reid. 

Starring Aiden Yobear, Mag Dwyer, Pier Luigi Consagra, & Brent Green. 

8/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING