Another student project that exhibits wisdom beyond its years is Saudade, created as a student project by the 21-year-old Kian Kelly. Kian managed to capture the spiral of a toxic relationship in a realistic and self-aware way I have rarely seen in other films about trauma and addiction, and he also calls back to Romeo and Juliet in adding an almost timeless feel to the story. Our intrepid jury member and talented filmmaker in his own right Nick Chirco gets the goods with Kian Kelly in a candid interview.
NC: Max is self centered, stubborn. I really didn’t like this character, and I want to assure you that reaction is a good thing. He’s possessive, posing on other people’s business even accepting graceful private issues like self-mutilation. Was this character meant to be so flawed, as to be such as what is referred to as a “byronic” hero?
KK: I’m glad you had a big reaction to the character! I absolutely wanted the audience to see him as some kind of byronic hero. The idea being; that he’s had such a traumatic past, that he has no choice but to act this way. Not acting this way has only made him lose things. My intention for this character was that the audience would hate the way he acts, but at the same time, also empathise with his intention of making a new family. Therefore, making the audience partly root for things to turn out okay whilst also hating him.
NC: There is a scene that involves reproductive rights. I almost think this is the tipping point where Max almost becomes as much of a problem as the father. Do you think she is trapped?
KK: I absolutely think she is trapped. She’s trapped by her lack of confidence and unwillingness to say no. To me, Natalie has so much empathy, that she puts other people’s needs above her own. She has done so with her father, and she’s reproducing the same behaviour with Max. Another case of “acting this way” because it’s the only way they know how.
NC: This movie is almost like a musical, I think that the redeeming thing about Max’s character is his voice. Were there any outtakes or b-sides you shot?
KK: I’m glad you liked his voice! This was a live performance on camera, so there were a couple outtakes to get the best performance. But there’s no b-side. I recorded a cover of the song myself, with the fingerpicking pattern and lyrics as a way for him to learn and that was it.
NC: Can you explain to me the type of gear you used, and crew? The film is very finely made!
KK: Thank you so much! The cinematographer I had used a Blackmagic URSA Camera and we plugged it into a boom mic. This was a student film, therefore this wasn’t a large crew. There was me (the director), the cinematographer, the two actors and we rotated through people for boom operator, slate, script supervisor. The crew sometimes was always 4-6 of us. I sometimes held the boom or helped out the camera operating. It was very small, but it needed to be in order to fit everyone in the small locations that we had. We had two houses. In one we used all the rooms, and the other we used the larger bathroom.
NC: How do you think tragedies like these can be averted with the help of community support and acceptance?
KK: I think these situations can be very dangerous and last a long time since both sides can think that they’re doing the “right thing” if that’s all they know. To avoid this, I think it’s crucial that they have outside communication with close friends or professionals, that would unconditionally want to help out their best interests. And more importantly, give an outsiders’ perspective to what your situation is really like. I actually based this story on a past relationship I had (much less extreme, but not so different psychologically). I was the Natalie in this situation. The worst thing I did was stay quiet about it. My thinking was that things would work out if both our intentions are there. But I was also too ashamed to say anything and neither of us were acting rationally. It wasn’t until after we broke up, I realised how important it was to talk to trusted people who accept you for your flaws and genuinely want to help you. They helped me put into perspective the actual dynamic of the relationship. Going to trusted people would help you put things in perspective. Therapists are paid to help people because it’s such an important responsibility to have. They get trained to help. They are amazing to go to for that reason.
There’s so many people suffering in silence, and I think the worst thing you can do is stay quiet about it. I believe most people have demons that they find hard to cope with. As for the friends who actually are genuinely happy, I think they should reach out because it’s sometimes so hard to have the strength to open up. Even if they haven’t acted different. You never know the catalyst that could get them to open up. For me, I just wanted someone to rescue me, I wanted someone to care. And as soon as I got that, things fell back into place.
There’s still time to watch the student short Saudade in Shorts Block No. 4, the youth in mental health shorts block: Saudade | Shorts Block No. 4 – Youth In Mental Health | Mental Filmness 2025 Virtual Festival
Cast your virtual ballot, and let us know what YOU think!
