Sarah didn't know when it happened, but as she watched the two trailers, tears began to fall from her eyes.
It wasn't a loud or dramatic cry.
She saw her brother again. Not the chaotic Owen of the past few years, the one they found doing drugs at home, the one their father hit, the one who left without ever looking back.
She saw the passionate Owen she had known since childhood. The one who taught her to imitate movie scenes in front of the mirror.
The one she stayed up late with, watching movie marathons. That Owen. The one who had seemed to vanish.
And now he was there. On screen. With the same intense gaze as always. With the same passion.
Sarah lowered the trailer's volume and closed her eyes for a moment. She felt anger.
Anger that he hadn't reached out to her. That he had disappeared and never returned.
Her parents had expelled him, not her. Why had he never looked for her? He was her older brother, did she really matter so little to him?
She also felt anger that her mother had always supported him, but not her.
Every time Sarah hinted that she wanted to act, or pursue something artistic, her father frowned. Her older brother James said it was a waste of time.
And even her mother, who was always gentler and more supportive of her children, advised her to first think of something "more secure."
Sarah quickly wiped away her tears and sat in silence, staring at the screen, thinking.
What should she do? Share this with her parents?
'If I show it to Mom, maybe…' Sarah thought, an idea forming in her mind.
Maybe if her mother saw that Owen had straightened himself out and was still chasing his dream, maybe that part of her would come back.
Not the dim, silent version that had wandered the house ever since Owen left.
Maybe if her mother began to believe in Owen's dreams again, she might also see her. Listen to her. Support her on her own path.
Sarah closed the laptop firmly and left her room. She walked down the hallway, descended the stairs, and entered the living room.
The house was quiet, the only sound the soft tapping of keys filling the air. Her mother, seated on the sofa, had her laptop on her lap and fabric samples spread across the coffee table. She was focused, reviewing what looked like a color palette for a design project.
"Mom?" Sarah asked, her voice lower than she intended. Elizabeth looked up, kindly.
"Hi, sweetheart. Everything okay? I saw Mia left, did you two have a fight?" Elizabeth asked.
"No… no, she just had to go home. Do you have a minute? I want to show you something," Sarah replied.
"Of course, go ahead," said Elizabeth, noticing the seriousness in her daughter's tone.
Sarah sat beside her and took her mother's laptop. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow but let her daughter do what she needed to do.
"It's a trailer for a short film… I want you to watch the whole thing, okay?" Sarah said as she typed quickly.
Elizabeth nodded without asking questions. There was something in her daughter's voice that urged her to pay attention.
The video began. A black screen, then a studio logo.
Elizabeth didn't recognize the name at all. Then the first black-and-white image appeared, with a style clearly inspired by classic cinema. The morning sun lit the street. And then she saw him.
Owen.
Standing by the tracks, dressed in a dark gray suit, white shirt, narrow tie. He held a folder of documents against his chest. His hair slightly more orderly than usual.
Beside him stood a young woman. Beautiful. She too wore formal work clothes, feminine yet vintage, as if from the 1950s or earlier. The only touch of color in the whole shot: her perfectly drawn red lips, which stood out vividly.
The camera showed them standing silently, just a few seconds before a train sped past behind them. The wind from the rush lifted the papers in Owen's hands. One slipped free, flew, and landed directly on the girl's face.
Elizabeth blinked, startled. Not by the visual trick, but by what she saw in her son's acting.
Owen stepped closer, nervous, and pulled the paper away from the women's face. At its center, a red lipstick mark. He looked at her, amused, pointing at the paper as if to share a joke. But when he lifted his gaze again… she was already inside the train. Watching him through the window, as the train pulled away from the station.
The music rose softly, intertwining strings with piano notes, managing to convey that subtle blend of fate and longing.
After the fleeting encounter, there was a transition showing Owen sitting at his desk in a monotonous office.
He gazed at the paper that still carried the mark of red lips. He held it delicately, as if afraid to ruin it.
He sighed. Leaned back in his chair… and suddenly, something shifted in his eyes.
He stood up abruptly and walked toward the window of his office, located on a high floor of what seemed to be a skyscraper in the city center. On the other side of the street, in the building across, something caught his attention.
There she was.
The same girl from the train. Waiting in the reception area of an office, seated, with a work folder on her lap and a distracted look in her eyes. Owen froze for a moment, open-mouthed. Then, without thinking too much, he opened the window.
The air rushed in.
He began waving his arms, gesturing frantically, trying to get her attention… but it was useless. The distance, the noise of the city, everything stood in the way.
Then his eyes fell on the stack of papers on his desk. A spark lit up in his gaze. He grabbed a sheet, folded it quickly,clumsily at first, then with precision, until he had made a paper airplane.
He leaned out the window. Tested the wind with his hand, raised his arm, and threw it. The first airplane spun on itself and fell straight to the asphalt.
He didn't give up. Another attempt. Another airplane.
This one flew a few meters farther, but was pushed away by a gust of wind.
The montage grew more dynamic. Music swelling. Shots of Owen folding papers. White airplanes cutting through the air, falling, crashing against windows, posts, balconies.
And just when one seemed to be heading directly toward her…
The screen went black and then appeared:
Paperman.
A short film by Second Take Films.
Premiere on YouTube: June 22, 2022.
Elizabeth remained staring at the screen, motionless. Her hands rested gently on her lap, though her fingers pressed together without her noticing.
"It's beautiful," she murmured, unable to help herself.
"The music, so soft, so sad and yet hopeful. And everything in black and white, but it doesn't feel empty. It feels… like nostalgia. Like love on pause, waiting to happen," she added, eyes still fixed on the monitor, even though the video had already ended.
Sarah said nothing. She only nodded in silence.
"And them," Elizabeth continued, as if speaking to herself, "they don't say a single word. But in 45 seconds you already understand everything. That he wants to find her again… and that something as simple as a paper airplane can be the purest attempt to hold on to destiny."
"And Owen…" Elizabeth repeated, her voice breaking with contained emotion.
She pressed her lips together slightly, as if forcing herself not to let her voice tremble.
"He's… incredible. That look he gives when he sees the girl at the window… that expression of love at first sight…"
She paused for a moment. Then, with a smile that seemed to come from far away, she added, "It's the same expression he had when he acted at school and in the theater workshop. Do you remember?"
Sarah nodded.
For the first time in a long while, Elizabeth felt that a part of her, one that had been asleep for years, was beginning to awaken. And the first thing she did was hug her daughter.
"Thank you, sweetheart, for showing me this."
Sarah didn't reply. She simply closed her eyes and held her mother tight.
As they pulled apart, Elizabeth took a deep breath, wiped away a tear she hadn't even noticed, and said softly, "Can we see how the video is doing?"
Sarah nodded and, moving the touchpad, scrolled to the video's comments section.
The video had already reached 42,000 views in just three days and had over ten thousand likes. It also had more than five hundred comments.
Mother and daughter began reading through them.
[Comments Section]
@Alexmc21:
Not have any voice, not have any text! But this is very beautiful story! I love it!
@Bordepotato12:
I'll just say this… NEVER make a movie out of this. I don't say that because I don't like it. I say it because I LOVE what I saw in the trailer for this short. And if it were any longer than it is, it would lose all the beauty, meaning, and simplicity that make it so perfect.
@IndieguyWD:
This is cinema, and it's just a short film trailer. In less than a minute it made me smile and almost cry.
@EliseDrawes:
I love the aesthetic. Black and white with that subtle music. It feels pulled from another era.
@Looperflot:
Second short from this channel in less than two months… And from what I saw in the first short, the creator is Owen Ashford. Where did this guy come from? He's got presence, he's got expression, he's got cinematic instinct. And all that without saying a single word.
@BetweenFrames:
The chemistry between them is beautiful. The girl has a natural sweetness that shines through the screen. I don't know if they're a couple in real life, but if they're not… they should be.
@JesikaHans2001:
After The Black Hole, I thought it was just luck. But no… this channel has something special. Direction, music, wordless acting. Everything harmonizes.
…
Elizabeth read quietly, her smile growing. She had always believed in her son's talent, and seeing that people loved his performance made her deeply happy.
However, something made her frown. "Second short film?" she asked.
Sarah nodded and, with the same speed she had opened the first trailer, typed and searched for The Black Hole.
The screen changed, and Elizabeth saw Owen appear as a gray office worker, worn down by routine, consumed by monotony. As the short progressed, his expressions grew more intense, revealing surprise, greed, and anxiety. By the end, when Owen was trapped by his own desire, Elizabeth couldn't help but raise a hand to her mouth.
Before she could fully process it, Sarah was already opening the third video: the trailer for the feature film Paranormal Activity.
Within seconds, the atmosphere shifted to one of tension.
For the first time, Elizabeth heard Owen's voice. A voice that at first was casual, explaining to his couple the reason for setting up the camera to capture the strange things happening at night.
When the trailer ended, the logo of the Palm Springs International Film Festival filled the screen, with the premiere date and time in the Midnight section.
Elizabeth knew the festival. She knew what it meant. Many films from this festival went on to earn recognition and even distribution.
The living room fell silent.
In the credits of The Black Hole, Elizabeth had caught sight of Owen being credited as both screenwriter and producer.
She was still processing that her son had starred in two short films: one written and produced by him, and most likely the same for the second.
And then a feature film accepted into the prestigious Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Three works in just a few months. For any young actor, that would already be a lot.
But Owen wasn't just acting. He was also writing and producing. And just as importantly, hundreds of people were already watching, leaving glowing reviews, thousands of likes, strong engagement.
With the laptop on her lap, Sarah entered the channel and said, "Paperman has forty thousand views in three days. And Paranormal Activity already hit forty-eight thousand views, in just two days…"
Sarah scrolled down to the comments section.
[Comments Section – Paranormal Activity Trailer]
@nickNeal:
How did we go from a silent romantic short to this? And in 24 hours!? This channel is gold.
@zend888:
That same guy again? Is he the owner of the channel? Didn't know him before, but I'm already a fan.
@Valeriespirals:
Anyone else notice the actress is also the one from Paperman? The couple has real chemistry. Are they together in real life?
@JJMS10:
I'm here again.
@ZackFilmss:
What is going on with this channel?! Two shorts and now a feature film trailer accepted at Palm Springs. This guy built a career in a few months without anyone seeing it coming.
@alramos93:
This doesn't look amateur. The atmosphere, the sound, the editing, the direction… but above all, the acting. I want to see the full thing now.
@kio01:
I love when indie cinema really puts effort into sound and rhythm. This trailer has atmosphere and tension without cheap jump scares.
@Kaka1993:
Is this the same channel that uploaded that silent Pixar-style short a few days ago? What's going on? They went from love to horror like it was nothing!
@Matt2002lol:
The direction is amazing? Who's the director? PS: I loved the trailer and the acting level is so good, two future stars for sure.
@Joeygutz:
Palm Springs accepted it! That already says a lot. They don't accept just anything, and this trailer proves why.
@F3lix_204:
I saw the actress in the romantic short. Her name's Sophie, right? They've got good chemistry. Hope they're together in real life hehe.
@fade2blxck:
Does anyone know if this channel is Owen's? Because if he wrote, acted, and produced this… Who IS this guy and where the hell did he come from?!
…
"What do you think?" Sarah asked, slowly closing the laptop and looking at her mother.
"I don't know…" murmured Elizabeth. "I don't know what to think yet. But… it's great. It's incredible that Owen is achieving this. He's doing what he always loved. And he's doing it well. With discipline, with focus. Without… without the parties, the bad company, none of that."
"So… are we going to call him?" Sarah asked softly.
"I mean…" Sarah continued, trying to sound indifferent, "clearly he's changed, right? He couldn't have achieved all of this without changing. Without working seriously. It's impossible."
Elizabeth lowered her gaze. On her face was something she rarely showed her children: guilt.
"I know," she finally admitted with a sigh. "And that's what hurts the most. Because if he changed… if he really did change… then we left him alone when he needed us the most."
Sarah stayed silent.
"Your father had so much anger, and I… I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to defend him. I was tired. Tired of watching him sink and not being able to do anything. I thought if we pushed him away… if he hit rock bottom… maybe then he'd react."
"And he did," said Sarah.
"Yes, I see that. But that doesn't erase the fact that with your father we threw him out. We cut all communication and support… I never called him. What kind of mother does that?" Elizabeth said, clenching her hands tightly.
Sarah stayed quiet, staring at her own hands. Her mother's words echoed in her mind.
For a moment, the anger she had carried toward Owen for so long, for not calling her, for not looking for her, for disappearing as if she didn't matter, began to slowly unravel.
Because now she saw him with different eyes. He wasn't okay. He couldn't have been.
'How could he look for me if he could barely handle himself?' she thought.
She felt a sharp pang in her chest. She had been so focused on her anger, on feeling left behind, that she hadn't allowed herself to see the obvious. Owen had been at the lowest point of his life. And she, just like everyone else, had left him alone.
She bit her lip hard, holding back her tears once more.
"He had problems, didn't he?" she asked in a low, trembling voice, almost a whisper. "He was unwell. Really unwell."
"Yes, Sarah. Don't blame yourself. It was your father's and my decision," Elizabeth said.
Sarah nodded, her eyes glistening. Suddenly she felt that she too had let go of her brother's hand. And even though she was younger, even though she had no say in the household decisions, the remorse was real.
"So what will we do?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know… But first we have to show it to your father and brother," Elizabeth said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
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Link: https://[email protected]/Nathe07