Recent movements and protests in the name of race, sexuality, and gender, have led to polarising opinions coming to light on a large scale. However, whilst we watch these opinions on a mass scale, we often do not consider how these opinions can affect families in the real world. Chandran takes this idea and expresses it in both implicit and explicit way.

Overall, At the End of the Road is a thoroughly enjoyable short film which packs a large amount emotion into a small space and every technical aspect is completed to perfection, helping to convince and involve you in the narrative.

The implicit side of displaying these issues is shown in the choice Chandran makes to have the story take place in one, cramped place. By having all the action in a small car, he is able to have the awkward tension feel palpable at all times, along with the moments where the anger is building between the girls and a fight is close to breaking out. However, the interesting setting also seems to allude to a feeling of entrapment, which some people feel in regard to their family and their views, with the final scene of the film being the biggest example of this. Yet the separation is also made obvious through the sister sitting in the back of the car and the two friends sitting in the front.

Synopsis:

Giving a lift to a friend's sibling, two childhood friends discuss life and family while confronting how to move on from past prejudices.

Moving away from narrative, the filmmaking itself is definitely deserving of praise. Cinematography in a car can often be difficult to do well yet the camera is perfectly stable throughout the film. Even moments where the camera moves to outside the car, the shot is brilliantly framed and conveys the trapped feeling. The lighting is also lovely and natural and gives an authentic feel to the film, helping to get the audience feel more ingrained into the world of the story. Furthermore, the sound is amazingly crisp but also sounds diegetic, as if you are in the car with the girls.

Of course, many films hang on the performance of the actors to truly convince you of the emotional depth of the story and At the End of the Road doesn’t disappoint! All three girls make the story come to life and play their parts with the perfect amount of emotional attachment to get the viewer invested in the story.

Film Critic, Writer at Luminous Frames Magazine

At the End of the Road is an emotional short film from director Govind Chandran, which follows the clearly tense car journey of a friend’s sister, and two childhood friends. The film is a beautiful commentary on family and how opinions on social justice can sometimes tear them apart.

The explicit ways are, of course, when the girls in the car argue about the man they all have in common and about whether his attitudes towards sexuality were justified or bigoted. Although the two childhood friends try to argue that it was simply the times in which he said them, the sister claims that time shouldn’t matter and that it’s always been a matter of compassionate choice. Either way, the narrative makes it obvious how these opposing viewpoints can make families and friendships difficult to maintain.