Daniel and Mia have been married for 3 years but have been unable to bear a child. Feeling the societal pressure to have an infant of their own, the couple turns to a crime syndicate to illegally purchase a baby. However, as the two begin to fall in love with the newest member of their family, tragedy strikes as word gets out of their illegal acquisition of the child.
“Can you Love Me Most?” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
Deceptively complex and disturbing, “Can You Love me Most?” tells the story of illegal human trafficking through the eyes of a newborn baby. This results in a film that leaves the conversation open-ended about the morality of the process, in a way that leads to some fascinating tangents in its brief runtime of 17 minutes. In addition, it shows the complexity of the situation by touching on social pressure to have kids, along with the prejudice against interracial couples that put Daniel and Mia in a peculiar status as a married couple. Arguably, no one involved in the sale and procurement of an infant is redemptive, yet the short makes a case for the young couple as part of larger societal issues that feed into the market.
There is an undeniable sense of empathy towards the family. Whether what they did was altruistic or not, this sentiment is amplified by the end of the production. To say the conclusion is disturbing would be an understatement, as it touches on the darkest aspects of human trafficking with a single line of dialogue that is utterly devastating. This is where the true message of the short leaves a lasting impact and by the end, and as suitable as Dan and Mia seemed as parents, it is difficult not to see the loving family as playing a role in the exploitative system.
What originally feels like a gimmick, the story told from the view of the infant, works brilliantly in capturing the sense of innocence corrupted by the system. The audience is never allowed to connect with the baby through visuals that trigger those parental instincts, instead, the infant is seen as a commodity.
However, this approach does create issues with the technical aspects of the production, as the visual presentation is rather uninspired in its limitations beyond the single perspective. In addition, the single perspective also limits the actors' abilities to explore a broader emotional range–though Sara Mack as Mia does give a fitting emotional performance as the ‘mother'. Regardless, the limitations put on the production through the visual approach are not a detriment when considering how ideal it conveys the message that director Feisal Azizuddin & scriptwriter Ellina Abdul Majid intended.
“Can You Love Me Most?” may not have the strongest presentation, but its messaging comes through clearly and opens up larger conversations that are essential to have. In this regard, the film is a success and certainly worthy of experiencing.
