Two Distant Strangers

Last updated
Two Distant Strangers
Two Distant Strangers.jpg
Official release poster
Directed by
Screenplay byTravon Free
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJessica Young
Edited byAlex Odesmith
Music by James Poyser
Production
companies
  • Dirty Robber
  • NowThis
  • Six Feet Over
Distributed by Netflix
Release date
November 20, 2020
Running time
32 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$443,050 (all short films) [1]

Two Distant Strangers is a 2020 American short film written by Travon Free and directed by Free and Martin Desmond Roe. [2] [3] The film examines the deaths of Black Americans during encounters with police through the eyes of a character trapped in a time loop that keeps ending in his death. [4] [5] Two Distant Strangers won the award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, marking distributor Netflix's first win in the category. [6]

Contents

Plot

In New York City, graphic designer Carter James tries to get home to his dog, Jeter, the morning after a first date, only to find himself trapped in a time loop in which he is repeatedly confronted in the street by a NYPD officer, Merk. Merk wonders whether Carter is smoking a joint and wants to search his bag. Each encounter ends with Carter being killed by the police, then waking up in the bed of his date, Perri. [lower-alpha 1] In one version of the loop, riot police burst into Perri's apartment, mistaking it for a different apartment because the door number is hanging upside down, and shoot him there. [lower-alpha 2]

After 99 deaths, Carter decides to discuss the situation with Officer Merk. Carter tells him about the time loop, offering Merk evidence by correctly predicting what people around them will do next. Carter asks Merk to drive him home. The journey ends without mishap; Merk and Carter get out of the patrol car and shake hands. But as Carter turns to enter his apartment building, Merk starts applauding what he calls Carter's "noble performance", revealing that Merk remembers the previous loops too. Merk then shoots him in the back, while a pool of blood starts forming in the shape of Africa, and says "See you tomorrow, kid". Carter wakes up once more in Perri's bed.

Undeterred, Carter leaves Perri's apartment to make yet another effort to get home. As the song "The Way It Is" plays, names of Black Americans who have died in encounters with police are listed.

Cast

Release

In March 2021, Netflix acquired the distribution rights and made the film available from April 9. [8]

Comparisons to existing works

Two Distant Strangers has been compared to other films that share a similar premise:

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Academy Awards April 25, 2021 Best Live Action Short Film Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe [13] Won [14]
African-American Film Critics Association April 7, 2021Best Short FilmTwo Distant StrangersWon [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Groundhog Day</i> (film) 1993 American fantasy comedy film by Harold Ramis

Groundhog Day is a 1993 American fantasy comedy film directed by Harold Ramis from a screenplay by him and Danny Rubin. Starring Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, and Chris Elliott, it tells the story of Phil Connors (Murray), a cynical television weatherman covering the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, who becomes trapped in a time loop, forcing him to relive February 2 repeatedly. The film also features Stephen Tobolowsky, Brian Doyle-Murray, Marita Geraghty, Angela Paton, Rick Ducommun, Rick Overton, and Robin Duke.

<i>Replay</i> (Grimwood novel) 1986 novel by Ken Grimwood

Replay is a fantasy novel by American writer Ken Grimwood, first published by Arbor House in 1986. It won the 1988 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.

Scanline VFX is a global visual effects and animation company founded 1989 in Munich. The studio is led by VFX Supervisor Stephan Trojansky. The company has 7 locations including Munich, Stuttgart, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Montreal, London, and Seoul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Rossi</span> American filmmaker

Andrew Rossi is an American filmmaker, known for directing and writing The Andy Warhol Diaries (2022).

<i>Paperman</i> 2012 American film

Paperman is a 2012 American black-and-white computer-cel animated romantic comedy short film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Directed by John Kahrs, it blends traditional and computer animation, and features the voices of Kahrs and Kari Wahlgren in the leading roles.

Travon Free is an American comedian, actor and writer. He has written for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, The Daily Show on Comedy Central, and Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons on HBO.

<i>13th</i> (film) 2016 American documentary film

13th is a 2016 American documentary film directed by Ava DuVernay. The film explores the prison-industrial complex, and the "intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States"; it is titled after the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted in 1865, which abolished slavery throughout the United States and ended involuntary servitude except as a punishment for conviction of a crime. This allowed for a constitutional loophole in which black Americans became criminalized and faced involuntary servitude in the form of penal labor.

<i>Naked</i> (2017 film) 2017 American film

Naked is a 2017 American comedy film directed by Michael Tiddes and written by Rick Alvarez, Cory Koller and Marlon Wayans. It is a remake of the 2000 Swedish film Naken. The film stars Marlon Wayans, Regina Hall, Jonathan Todd Jackson, Scott Foley, Loretta Devine, Brian McKnight and Dennis Haysbert. The film was released on Netflix on August 11, 2017.

<i>Happy Death Day</i> 2017 American slasher film

Happy Death Day is a 2017 American black comedy slasher film directed by Christopher Landon, and written by Scott Lobdell. It stars Jessica Rothe and Israel Broussard. The film was produced by Jason Blum through his Blumhouse Productions banner, in association with Digital Riot Media and Vesuvius Productions. It follows a college student who is murdered on the night of her birthday and begins reliving the day repeatedly, at which point she sets out to find the killer and stop her death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominic Maker</span> Musical artist

Dominic Maker is an English Grammy-nominated record producer and songwriter from Brighton. He is best known as one half of the duo Mount Kimbie and for his production work for artists such as James Blake, Slowthai, Rosalía and Jay-Z. Dom Maker initially met Kai Campos at London South Bank University where he was studying film. Their debut album was released in 2010 and since signing to Warp in 2012 they have released a further two albums.

<i>Boss Level</i> 2021 science fiction action film by Joe Carnahan

Boss Level is a 2020 American science fiction action film directed by Joe Carnahan and written by Carnahan and Chris and Eddie Borey, from a story by the Boreys. It stars Frank Grillo as a retired special forces soldier who tries to escape a never-ending time loop that results in his death. Mel Gibson, Naomi Watts and Michelle Yeoh co-star.

<i>Palm Springs</i> (2020 film) 2020 film directed by Max Barbakow

Palm Springs is a 2020 American science fiction romantic comedy film directed by Max Barbakow, from a screenplay by Andy Siara. It stars Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, and J. K. Simmons, and follows two strangers who meet at a wedding in Palm Springs only to get stuck in a time loop.

<i>Alive</i> (2020 film) 2020 film by Il-cho (Cho Il-hyung)

#Alive is a 2020 South Korean post-apocalyptic action horror film directed by Cho Il-hyung. Starring Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye, it is based on the 2019 script Alone by Matt Naylor, who co-adapted his script with Cho. The film revolves around a video game live streamer's struggle for survival as he is forced to stay alone at his apartment in Seoul during a zombie apocalypse. It was released in South Korea on June 24, 2020, and globally via Netflix on September 8, 2020. Critics generally gave positive reviews.

<i>Im No Longer Here</i> 2019 film

I'm No Longer Here is a 2019 Mexican Spanish-language drama film written and directed by Fernando Frías de la Parra, and starring Juan Daniel García Treviño and Angelina Chen.

<i>8:46</i> (special) 2020 performance by Dave Chappelle

8:46 is a 2020 performance special by American comedian Dave Chappelle about violence against African Americans. The special was released via YouTube on June 12, 2020. The performance is not a traditional stand-up comedy special, as it was recorded at a private outdoor venue due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio and features long stretches without humor. Critical consensus has been positive for the comedy and the social commentary.

<i>A Love Song for Latasha</i> 2019 documentary film

A Love Song for Latasha is a 2019 American biographical documentary short film directed by Sophia Nahli Allison. Drawing on memories from the subject's cousin and best friend, the film reimagines the life of Latasha Harlins, a Black Los Angeles girl shot and killed by a convenience store owner in 1991. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 93rd Academy Awards.

Canvas is an American animated short film written and directed by Frank E. Abney III. It was released on December 11, 2020 on Netflix.

Martin Desmond Roe is a British-American film and television director, writer, and producer. He is best known for Buzkashi Boys (2012), Kobe Bryant's Muse (2015), Breaking2 (2017), Tom vs Time (2018), and We are the Champions (2020). Roe is the founder and Creative Director of Dirty Robber, a Los Angeles–based production company.

References

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Carter's first death resembles the killing of Eric Garner in 2014 and the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. Travon Free wrote the script in July 2020. [7]
  2. ↑ Alluding to the 2020 shooting of Breonna Taylor
  3. ↑ v. 1, ln. 16: "Learn to see me as your brother 'stead of two distant strangers"

Citations

  1. ↑ "2021 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Live Action". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  2. ↑ Dry, Jude (March 8, 2021). "'Two Distant Strangers' Makes Sure Oscar Voters Don't Forget George Floyd". IndieWire. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  3. ↑ Menta, Anna (April 9, 2021). "'Two Distant Strangers' on Netflix Is a Time Loop Story With a Powerful Twist". Decider.
  4. ↑ Feinberg, Scott (February 5, 2021). "'Awards Chatter' Podcast — Sean Combs ('Two Distant Strangers')". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  5. ↑ Norris, Michele L. (April 13, 2021)."Opinion: We're stuck in a loop of death until we address policing. This Netflix short showcases that". The Washington Post.
  6. ↑ 2021|Oscars.org
  7. ↑ Pener, Degen (January 19, 2021). "Behind the Scenes of New Short Film, 'Two Distant Strangers,' About Police Killings in America". The Hollywood Reporter.
  8. ↑ Rodriguez, Karla (April 9, 2021). "Director Travon Free’s Oscar-Nominated 'Two Distant Strangers' Reflects the Time We Live In". Complex.
  9. 1 2 "Netflix Two Distant Strangers copied Groundhog Day for Black Man". Wiredup Report. 14 April 2021. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  10. ↑ Tanvi Akhauri, May 1, 2021, Woman’s TikTok About Oscar-Winning Short’s Close Resemblance To Her Film Goes Viral
  11. ↑ Moore, Kasey (May 2021). "'Two Distant Strangers' Plagiarism Claims Explained". What's On Netflix. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  12. ↑ Debruge, Peter (April 2021). "'2021 Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Live Action' Review: A Cross-Section of Cinematic Activism". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  13. ↑ "Two Distant Strangers" Wins Best Live Action Short Film | 93rd Oscars
  14. ↑ Khatchatourian, Maane (April 25, 2021). "Oscars 2021: The Complete Winners List". Variety. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  15. ↑ AAFCA-2021-Winners-Press-Release.pdf
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.