Review for ‘‘Blue Lucas’ by David Anderson

From accomplished writer/director/producer David Anderson, with many works of political and social content under his belt, comes a new, short yet thoughtful addition by the name Blue Lucas.

The title on its own provides almost the entirety of the short's premise, with the emotional and social context being left up to the viewer's own experiences and interpretation. Anderson has always approached LGBTQ issues with a light touch, planting the seeds of contemplation through minimal or unscripted dialogue and subtle symbolic imagery. This is just the case with Blue Lucas, where almost none of the dialogue between the two leads is scripted, instead a product of lived experience and adlib that touches on addiction, societal pressures and their effect on the LGBTQ community.

Visually, Blue Lucas is experimental to say the least. Although the black & white with color-accented characters depending on their emotions and styles isn't a cinematic novelty, what Anderson surprises with is the deliberate downgrade of the film's technical characteristics, wherein through choppy frames and sound, as well as distortions and low-fidelity parts he attempts to communicate the disorientation and difficulty in piecing one's life back together through the healing process out if addiction, to varying effect. The main drivers of the short's drama are Rivard & Joshua's grounded & real performances.

In conclusion, Blue Lucas is an effective experiment by a seasoned director who knows how to work with little resources and to directly interrogate society's shortcomings towards the LGBTQ community and other marginalized groups.