Review for ‘‘Last Minute’’ by Joel Junior

At the most precarious time for safe and legal access to abortion in the US in recent memory comes Joel Junior's Last Minute, reading more like a play or a gripping short story than a conventional short film.

Last Minute boasts a minimal plot, pitting a heterosexual former couple against one another due to the woman's decision to go through with the abortion of their early-term offspring, conceived during their final night together. Against this seemingly simple framework, Junior's script flows totally unimpeded and effortlessly kinetic, compressing social commentary, realistic arguments, natural-sounding dialogue and deft satyre of the american far-right in just 17 minutes that go by in a flash.

Technically speaking, the film is crisp to the max, from the crystal-clear cinematography to the subdued music and sharp editing through space & time. The leads' performances, akin to a dynamic stage production's, are undoubtedly highly professional, if sometimes emotionally dry, given the subject matter.

Expertly-crafted, socially sensitive and with a beautiful additional message during the credits, Joel Junior and his team produce a piece worthy of their collective laurels that succinctly sums up a controversial current debate.