“The Fool”, (2022) dir. Darius Rubin and Yoshiya Yamamoto, officially selected at the Aegean Film Festival and the New York Shorts International Film Festival, ends with the tag: “Made in New York City.” There is no Times Square, no Fifth Avenue, and no Empire State Building, yet the sprawling energy of the city captured in “The Fool” is as visceral as ever.
As the short unfolds, we bear witness to a young man, desperate for connection in the process of growing up, who is blatantly taken advantage of by the very people he seeks approval from. The young man’s visible desperation inevitably brings about feelings of dissatisfaction and isolation.
With the objective of creating a story inspired by human connection and relationships, dir. Rubin and Yamamoto discuss their perspectives on relationships in the 21st century.
“They are designed to be easier to foster and maintain, with the increase in connectivity, yet it appears that people feel more alone than ever – without the ability to be honest about the way we feel, not even to closest friends. As we all know, the weak finish last. Too embarrassed to voice, and too worried to be perceived as weak, we let our frustrations and insecurities out in other ways. By placing our definitions of self in the hands of others, no matter how close we think we are to people, we’ll always be chasing something foreign and unnatural, falling short and unhappy.”
WATCH THE TRAILER FOR 'THE FOOL' BELOW
PRESS
AWARDS
