This short film is about young boy who is too involved with his electronics. His mother wants to show him that there is more to life than cell phones and computers, so she gives him a task which he needs to solve without using any modern technologies. What makes this film appealing is the way mother challenges her son to solve a problem without using any electronics and instead doing it the "old-fashioned way" - talking to the people, in person, leaving the house. As a mother, I'm also concerned with the amount of time people (not only kids) spent staring at different kinds of screen (PC, cell phone, tablets, TV and others) and avoiding personal contact and outdoors. What I like about this movie is that it shows us how much we rely on modern technologies. Many of us can't even imagine life without them anymore and that's alarming. We need more of the human interaction. I particularly like the scene in the library with bookshelves packed with books. It looks like a small maze and the boy seems a bit lost. Also, the scene where boy sits with the librarian and both read regular paper books is charming. The costumes are accurate and fit well with the story line. There are four major locations - car, home, library, park. They are all well planned and help develop the story plot - from sitting in the car with the cell phone in hand all the way to the great outdoors.
The background music and sound is well executed. It begins with typical video game sounds. Slowly, as the movie progresses (scenes in the library) the music becomes calming, soothing, something that you want to hear while doing some research in the library. The music at the end of the movie represents joy and some kind of triumph. Devendra Kumar, writer, director and producer of the film, originally studied engineering, so the task in the film fits well with his background. To me, who stands out the most, is the mother who is trying to teach her son (the time machine boy) a valuable lesson - don't waste your time indoors with the gadgets, go out, play and talk with friends.
The message of this film is there is more to life than just modern technologies. Let's enjoy some pleasure reading and learn something new. My favorite part of the movie is the scene when the mother sits with her son on the bench in the park and they just TALK and LAUGH. It's simple yet comforting. I give this film 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18, plus adults. This film shows us how important human interaction and natural curiosity are for our life. It's multi-cultural, educational and teaches us about the importance of pleasure reading.
Reviewed by Monika B., KIDS FIRST! Adult Juror
A young boy who is mostly busy in his mobile gets a challenge from his mother. The challenge is simple but tricky.
