Got MILK?

I almost hate being that guy that brings back the most famed of 90s slogans, “Got Milk?”, but I also feel no shame about it as this is my piece so I can write what I like. And, this happens to be a pretty pertinent question when it comes to the recent slice-of-life film starring (not Sean Penn) Trish Rainone and Bobby Del Rio, ‘MILK’.

This rather brief Torontonian film follows what appears to be a regular morning in the lives of Mark and Jennifer, two lovers caught in what seems to be a bit of a rather mundane situation, albeit in a rather affluent part of town. We open on a disheveled sofa in an open and bright high-rise condo in Toronto and before I get into the story proper I have to say that the camera work on the initial shot is quite shaky. To the point that I suspected a phone was used for shooting the film. They used a DSLR but perhaps someone’s coffee had not quite kicked in yet for this shot (the rest is comparatively smooth). As we cut to the kitchen we are met with both Mark and Jennifer. Mark is in a simultaneously frantic yet aloof search for his keys while Jennifer fixes her coffee. A forward thinker may suspect that the coffee has something to do with the title and, voila, there is no milk in the jug. Thanks Mark!

Mark (Bobby Del Rio) & Jennifer (Trish Rainone)

The first half of this four-minute film is essentially an extension of Mark’s search as well as Jennifer’s to-do list for Mark while he’s out and she’s prepping for dinner with the ma-in-law. Having reviewed Rainone’s work before, I have to say that her dry delivery along with her dry wit shine in the opening of this piece. Her remark on how drinking her coffee black is “not disgusting” has a heartwarmingly sarcastic tone that instantly endears me to the character of Jennifer as someone who will put up with a lot but will not shut up about a lot.

After staring out the window for a bit, Mark apparently realizes that he’s likely to be late for work and heads out for the day after tasting the sauce for dinner and getting a kiss from Jennifer…forgetting his laptop. That’s alright, they’re both forgetful as Jennifer must search for her phone before she can voice message Mark about his additional slip in memory.

Now, if the next clip is not a testament to who people should not be checking their phones on the crosswalk, I don’t know what is. Mark is playing Jennifer’s message while he’s crossing the street and notices, likely too late, that there is a car gunning right for him.

The latter two minutes of the piece appears to be all in flashback and is what I assume to be Mark’s last bit of pertinent information circulating through his head before he dies or, at the very least, deals with significant injuries. In flashback, we learn that Mark is often away for work while Jennifer wants nothing more than to spend time with him and have a child. Some emotional conflict and uplifting humour later, we come to the montage.

For the last minute of the film proper, we are met with all manner of loving moments between this young couple underscored by a beautifully heartbreaking song entitled, ‘Love Is’, composed by Daryl Bennett and Candace Coker. The song carries us to black and through the credits also where we find an in memoriam to Tyler “Daley” Blake Smith who passed in August of 2019. I’m not sure if the cause is related to this very film but such a thing would be known by those who knew him and should also be kept by those who knew him.

Backtracking, slightly, to the closing music of the piece, it must be pointed out that the opening and, indeed, the entirety of the film until the montage is completely devoid of music. This is a very interesting and almost daring move. Music is predominantly the way in which filmmakers connect with and manipulate their audience. This is the principal way they can move their viewers, in my opinion. That being said, as both writer and director, Rainone chose to forego the music and rely on the acting to connect to the audience. Even as a musician, I must say that this is a refreshing choice that did make me focus far more on the two people of the story, rather than the score that does, eventually, elicit a hell of an emotional response.

Overall, I’d have to say that I think, perhaps, the film is too short if only because I want to explore more of the lives of these two individuals. That being said, I do very much appreciate slice-of-life film. So much of film is life to the inth degree or life as a political mirror. ‘MILK’ is simply everyday life. We live life as a series of events. Not all of those events are inspiring or dramatic…but there’s always one event that we try to put out of our minds; an event we’ll likely not see coming until it’s staring us right in the face…

For more info on the production, head right over HERE!