Short Film: Stutterer (Dir. Benjamin Cleary)

Stutterer is a dramatic short film, which won an Oscar as the best short film in 2016.

Benjamin Cleary does a phenomenal job with the script he wrote in just one week! He conducted a comprehensive study of people who stutter and who struggle daily to be heard. It should be noted that the script writer and director of the film do not stutter, but they managed to convey all the complexity and attribution of stuttering. Stutterer is based on real stories of people who have difficultly communicating in person, and even more so by phone.

Unfortunately, stutterers often face a nervous misunderstanding of what happened to the main protagonist of the short film, Greenwood, played by Matthew Needham. The main character Greenwood, stutters and it is difficult for him to communicate, especially with a representative over the phone. Sometimes, stuttering is so bad Greenwood uses sign language to avoid talking to women.

However, he feels quite confident in his thoughts. So through a messaging app he gets to know a beautiful girl named Ellie, played by Chloe Pirrie. Ellie is coming to London, where Greenwood lives, and here begins the main emotional tension of the whole film. The protagonist is in a panic, as well as the audience. What Greenwood will do when his internet thing is coming, the girl he has been pining over?

Stutterer is Benjamin Cleary’s first directorial work, and for the plot of the film all the rehearsals were laid out in a way that everyone on the set could participate. One example is Irene Cotton from production. She shares how the crew studied all sorts of records and imagined new sound rules for Greenwood. At the same time, Benjamin Cleary confesses that he was more nervous the moment he showed the short to his friend that stutters than he was about winning an Oscar.

Now Cleary is working on a series of science fiction drama called “Swan Song”, the main idea of which again is to communicate. This is important, because open communication is key. Share your thoughts with the community in the comment section. Try to view the short while thinking of clear shots that frame the narrative.