“Rest Stop” was selected as a finalist in this year’s ShortList Film Festival, presented by TheWrap. You can watch the films and vote for your favorite here.
“Rest Stop,”, one of the finalists of TheWrap’s 2023 ShortList Film Festival, is a snapshot of the moment in life when a child realizes that their mother is also more than just mom. Written and directed by Crystal Kayiza, the 12-minute feature chronicles an attempted family reconciliation seen through the eyes of their pre-teen daughter.
The picture, which premiered at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival and won the Jury Prize for Best US Short Film at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, uses the child’s eye-view to shape a simple road trip and mark it as a turning point for an entire family.
Through the journey, as a willing participant and a bystander, Meyi, a young Ugandan-American girl, comes to terms with her mother’s self-sacrifice, someone putting her dreams on hold for a chance at stability and something approaching the American Dream.
“I started writing in early 2020, just before COVID,” Kayiza stated in a conversation with TheWrap. “That was also the year I was nearing the age my mother was when she came to the US.” She noted that she wanted the film to represent her mother’s world at that time, including her perception of that world. The picture hones in on moments when children don’t necessarily see their parents as human beings, but rather as omnipresent caretakers, as well as the moments when that illusion is shattered.
One technique used to put ourselves in the young protagonist’s shoes was the selective use of subtitles. There are specific choices about which non-English dialogue to subtitle and which to let go uncaptioned.
“I grew up in a bilingual household. I was raised when my parents weren’t aggressively teaching the language.” Her ability to understand was a matter of being able to move in and out of conversations, with varying degrees of participation in the family resource.
“Subtitles can become a part of the experience of the film,” Kayiza said. Their selective use symbolizes the way she was processing the world around her and the conversations in her sphere.
“Rest Stop” also differentiates between comparatively wide open spaces, or at least busy public arenas with room to stretch but also unknown variables at every corner, and as conventionally claustrophobic settings like, well, a tight-fitting rest stop restroom.
“Most of the traveling spaces are intimate, while the home at the end is very open and inviting.” Furthermore, Kayiza explained, “We filmed in the summer of 2021 so we were still dealing with COVID protocols.” We had to create that feeling of chaos and claustrophobia.”
On alternating between conventional coverage and a distinctly child’s-eye point of view, “It was important to make the film from Meyi’s perspective, but not in a way that was looking down on her.” She noted that both of the children were first-time actors and all parties wanted to make the production experience like a journey. They gave the kids time to be kids, including time to play, between scenes.
“The young actors — and their parents — were professional and emotionally mature, but they were kids too and we wanted a meaningful and important experience for them. We wanted to create a safe space for them [there are copious outtakes of the kids just playing around], and that played out in the editing of the final cut.”
In terms of how the feature ends, with a warm and optimistic reception at their new home, Kayiza still wanted audiences to ask questions in terms of what might come next, as well as “What feels intimate?” and “What feels safe?”
“I wanted to be open-ended in terms of the new status quo. I didn’t want to end the film with people feeling resolved.”
In terms of broad takeaways and audience reactions, Kayiza highlighted “the moment where you understand your role in your community.”
“It’s important that people like spending time with this family, as the film is a snapshot in time in this family’s life.” Noting the film’s universal appeal rooted in cultural specificity, Kayiza ended the conversation by noting that “a part of the American Dream” is that their experiences are valued as much as anyone else’s.
The 2023 ShortList Film Festival runs online from June 28 – July 12, honoring the top award-winning short films that have premiered at major festivals in the past year. Watch the finalists and vote for your favorite here.
