Stuck at home with fighting parents, Banyu decides to get some respite from family trauma and bikes through the city at night. Banyu finds himself in a small alley and rests for a moment to have a smoke. It is while having his first cigarette that he is approached by a young girl named Marina, who asks for a light. The two begin to strike up a conversation, finding that they have a lot in common. After walking Marina home, Banyu heads back to his home, now inspired to live a more peaceful life after his chance encounter.
“2AM Street” works best to capture a moment of sincerity between two strangers whose lives cross path for a brief moment. It is a romantic take on the randomness of life and how moments can line up in just the right way, where even a stranger can have a large impact. This is exemplified in the script which feels sincere and honest in its presentation. Within the limited short time, the production also does a good job of establishing the characters’ lives beyond their own interactions. This kind of approach towards establishing character identity goes a long way in short films, and director Alvin Aprilianto Tan’s greatest strength is the ability to convey his charters with conviction.
Visually, the film is rather simplistic, but it does have a few moments of flair, with a nice time transition on screen that makes two separate scenes flow in harmony. The audio is well chosen. Overall, the technical aspects serve the story well and don’t hinder the production at any point, although, with the film being rather minimalist, it is hard to form criticism of the short in this department.
“2AM Street” presents a nice short narrative about a chance encounter. Within 10 minutes, the production does a great job of setting up this one scene, utilizing a strong script and performances to catch the moment. It is a nice little sincere piece, which at the moment feels like it could be a part of a bigger production. Although the short film does succeed in its simplicity, it does leave a few questions as to Alvin Aprilianto Tan’s ability to move on to other productions going forward. However, “2AM Street” exists as a solid example of scene writing and will hopefully push Tan into a production where he can make more use of visuals, and become a more defined voice.