Maverick (2017)

Directed by: Domien Huyghe | 20 minutes | short film, adventure | Actors: Hilde De Baerdemaeker, Andreas van Der Meulen, Emma Verlinden

In ‘Maverick’ we follow Stan, an eight-year-old boy, who tries to deal with the loss of his father within his own world. He would do everything in his power not to have to move away from the place where everything symbolizes his great hero. During the moving day, Stan thinks he has shot a plane out of the sky during an apparently innocent game and he starts a search for the crashed plane.

‘Maverick’ is a moving short film about an eight-year-old boy who tries to escape the harsh reality by letting his imagination take over. We also see his older sister Emma (Emma Verlinden) and mother (Hilde de Baerdemeaker) struggling with the loss, which makes it striking how differently everyone seems to deal with it. For many people who have ever been confronted with loss, this film will be recognizable to a certain extent.

The story and form of the film are clear. You quickly understand how the fork is in the stem, so that you are ultimately left with few questions. The styling is somewhat retro and is reminiscent of films like ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Super 8’. It is a pleasant children’s film, which manages to broach a heavy subject in a playful but honest way. Definitely give this film a chance if you want to engage in an imaginative dialogue about the loss of a parent.