Photo: Courtesy of Natalie Gee (L to R) Robert W. Smith as Calvin and Natalie Gee as Claire

I’m rooting for All is Not lost – and so should you. The indie dramedy starring and directed by Natalie Gee has a great premise and two unusual male and female leads. The short film: about an octogenarian (Calvin) with the onset of Alzheimer’s and his twenty-something care-giver (Claire), who also happens to reside at The Greens Geriatric Assessment Center where Calvin is a resident, have a nice dynamic. She tends to Calvin and while making sure he goes to his appointments and Bingo, he rebels against his daily schedule, is lost in reverie – thinking about his deceased wife, and occasionally breaks out of the facility. We don’t know for sure if his behavior is wholly attributed to his disease or the mourning of his wife.

All is Not Lost is charming in that it doesn’t take a somber approach to growing old and dwelling on the pitfalls that accompany the twilight years. It has Wes Anderson-like qualities with its vibrant color hues, quirky character wardrobe and funky music to move the story. Calvin and the residents of the Greens facility are entertaining, especially the film’s villain, Barney.

Photo: Courtesy of Natalie Gee, Robert W. Smith as Calvin

What I do wish the film possessed is backstory. How did Calvin and Claire come together? What were their lives like, prior to The Greens Geriatric Assessment Center? Why does Claire live there? As the audience, we need to know these details to fully invest and understand these characters – especially their evolution in the film. Perhaps this could be remedied by making All is Not Lost into a full-length feature. If that happens – I’m all for it!  All is Not Lost is currently making the rounds in film festival circuit with its world premiere on August 17^th at The HollyShorts Film Festival. For updates and to learn more about All is Not Lost, click here.