Short Film Review: End of Contract (2021) by St-Christian Aldrin

Amidst the global pandemic, many workers have seen a radical shift in their careers with many having to step away from their livelihood for a period or learn to adapt to changes in safety practices. “End of Contract” focuses on one such individual existing within the minority, those essential workers that exist outside of professions that the common man would understand to be key to keep society going. Cut to a seafarer on a commercial ship, stuck in the everyday monotony of a job he can't leave, away from family and friends with his only contact to the outside world coming via alarming news reports.

“End of Contract” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative

A film of a highly personal nature, sees director St-Christian Aldrin bringing the viewer along on his daily tasks on an unnamed vessel, from morning meal to bedtime after taking in the daily news. In addition to the isolating situation, the film score comes from the constant mechanical buzz and metal clicking, the only noise to accompany the worker through his day. Consequently, the short exists in a form of sever isolation, reflecting a sort of malaise which one can imagine washing over someone immersed in a contract to carry out a monotonous task while a much heavier global issues looms over their heads.

While the approach of St-Christin Aldrin to show these daily tasks free of any monologue marks for a tedious cinematic experience, the short succeeds at capturing the emotional burden of the protagonist. The only dialogue that the viewer comes across is in a news report where the reporter speaks of the overwhelming numbers of dead, with many being buried without their last rights. This brief glimpse into the outside world makes the subject's work seem absurd, knowing that his continued duty keeps him from knowing if his family and friends are still alive. Ultimately, the movie captures a deep despair without having to express those feelings verbally.

Given the production being free of dialogue and score, coupled with the limitation of shooting alone on a ship that was probably not intended to become the subject of a film, discussing the technical aspects of the short becomes a moot point. However, there is still room to appreciate the realism in showing the atmosphere as is, noise and all. In addition, each shot does seem planned out and framed in such a way that shows insight and understanding of proper framing.

Independent cinema has, understandably, been awash in films based around the global pandemic and the struggles therein. While “End of Contract” is not engaging in a traditional sense, its dialogue-free nature relates the tragic undertaking of the overlooked essential worker better than many of its Covid-themed contemporaries. If viewers can immerse themselves in the world that St-Christin Aldrin conveys, they will come out with a deeper understanding of how people have become displaced by the pandemic in precarious and underdiscussed ways.