Omeleto
BOTTOM-FEEDER | Omeleto
An ex-con rescues his daughter.
BOTTOM-FEEDER is used with permission from Brandon D. Hill. Learn more at https://instagram.com/bottom.feeder.film.
Kieran is a reformed criminal trying to establish a bond with his daughter Abby. After getting out of prison, he takes her on a fishing trip in hopes of getting an opportunity to make amends and reconnect. However, Abby is tenuous and distant with her father, even when Kieran tries to reach out to her emotionally.
But when Kieran discovers he can't leave his past behind, Abby is caught in the crosshairs of a larger scheme to pull Kieran back into his former life. Now Kieran must do anything he can to save his daughter -- even if that means facing the terrible choices of his past.
Directed and written by Brandon D. Hill, this short drama is both a propulsive thriller of a man who can't escape his past and a character study of a father trying to redeem himself as he reintegrates himself back into his daughter's life. Kieran wants to make a fresh start after getting out of prison, and making amends with Abby is his top priority. But his attempts are awkward and tentative, portrayed in the sparsely written but evocative interaction that begins the film.
Shot with a grittiness that echoes both the suspenseful tone of the storytelling and the weathered nature of Kieran's character, that brief scene resonates as the emotional heart of the narrative. Though actor Aland Brifkani portrays Kieran with the grizzled, taciturn demeanor of an ex-con, a sincere vulnerability tenderness pierces through in his interaction with Abby that makes his remorse and regret genuine. That ray of emotion, as well as the enduring parent-child bond it gestures towards -- is the narrative thread of Kieran's character, raising the stakes for him when Kieran's criminal past comes back to haunt him.
With deft and compelling storytelling, BOTTOM-FEEDER takes a solid, well-crafted turn into thriller territory, constructing visceral, pulse-racing scenes of action and violence that should satisfy any fan of the genre. But both Kieran and the narrative never forget what's at stake, or that he's essentially a parent who will do anything to keep his child safe. In confronting the wreckage of his past and the consequences of those actions, Kieran undoubtedly proves his love and commitment to his daughter, putting her above all else without hesitation. But earning that redemption has a hard-won and heartbreaking cost, making for a heartfelt and wrenching end.
