Scrutiny of Friendship | childhood ripped away in Ralph Hutchins short

Beauty could be the deceptive charm of the countryside. The stunning vistas and lush enveloping green, hiding a heap load of isolation and lack of opportunities. In Scrutiny of Friendship, writer-director Ralph Hutchins captures the emotional harsh along with the natural lush, the colourful with the grey, in a story that exposes the tension of friendships.

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Grant (Max Whalker) and Alex (Zachary Robertston) are at a turning point in their lives. For one of them, university beckons and a romantic relationship is blossoming.

Their countryside

To spend some time together, let off steam and chill out, they head to the countryside – their countryside – to horse around and reminisce, but when talk turns to the future, the atmosphere turns darker.

Almost as a reflection of the mood, from the bright sunlight of a summer’s day, the pair enter the shadow-dappled undergrowth. And even in the good times, Jake Langley’s cinematography creates a hazy warmth of remembered summer and sense of distance, capturing the beautiful landscape along with a growing emotional chasm.

Between child and adult

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The performances of Max and Alex tread that teetering path between child and adult, from the physical freedom of being and playing to the fraught psychology of growing up, moving away and facing change.

Childhood ripped away

Writer-director Ralph hits on the uneven emotional ground of late teenage, where the comfort of childhood is ripped away. He’s also written about how important it is to see the advantages for rural filmmakers. In Scrutiny of Friendship, he pulls on all the benefits of the scenic environment and plunges into an emotional landscape that lingers with regret and lost opportunities.