How rare to come across such a well made, deeply affecting and gorgeous gay short film with a big heart at the centre of its story. The way the two stories of the mother and the relationship play together so brilliantly side by side is enough to raise hairs. This director is one to watch and I can't wait to see what else he releases in the future.

An isle. two men. the gray reality. emotions, fear, fury, love. and the feeling to be the near you story. one of short film who does nothing more than support for reflection. about yourself, the other, need of affection, small gestures changing details. and about hope. almost nothing more. and this clash between a form of poetry and cold, nude reality, the sensitivity and the certitudes are the basic virtue of film.

"We Once Were Tide" is an 18-minute live action short film from 5 years ago. It is a British production directed by Jason Bradbury and written by Matthew Kyne Baskott. And it really says a lot that this film here is still the most known work from the duo and same can be said about all the actors in here. The really bad play on words in the title says it all already I guess. The performances are no good either and the script is extremely forgettable, does not make sense on many occasions. So what are the makers trying to tell us here? Is it true love between the two? The why is not one of them fighting for it. Or is it just a quick affair? Then why would we care and why would we buy all the emotions? The only somewhat good parts in this film are really only those that involved the sick mother of one of the protagonists. But this is just a side-plot that does not get enough screen-time to keep this little movie from being a disaster. Highly not recommended.

This is really a beautiful little film. Quite different from any of the other short films I've seen before, and exactly fits its description - it really does feel poetic. To make a general statement about this film, this film depicts dirty reality in a matter-of-fact way, which is precisely what makes the topic shine through the grime. What I especially liked about this film is that it depicts earthy things right up front, without dramatizing/glorifying the events but without veiling the harsh bits. Even everyday things, such as making coffee or going for a walk or having sex shows the characters' thoughts and emotions through the actions. That the relationship in the movie is between two men was something, I thought, that was well thought out because it increased the feeling of equality, yet separateness, in the pairing. Subtlety is key in this film, and while this is not the type of film that one watches while on edge, it is the kind of film that one watches while leaning casually back but with sharp attentiveness. I would give this film a 10/10, but I thought the beginning might have been done a bit better (especially with showing the title) and on at least the version I saw, the visuals were a little blurry and not all of the dialogue was crystal clear.