Written and directed by Matthew Kyle Levine, a young couple decides to live out of their car for the foreseeable future. Starring: Dianna Glasheen, Shea Glasheen and Bradford Hoyt.

Caleb & Sarah follows very much in the same vein of Matthew Kyle Levine’s last short film Some Time Soon, in that it’s about reading between the lines and not handing the audience everything. In that sense, it can be viewed in two different perspectives, the first being a commentary on the new generation of drifters. Young people who can’t seem to figure out their place, wanting independence but not quite aware of the price it comes at. Having a faux-romanticised view of life while they’re simply meandering through it.

It’s a good exploration of how people can become listless in their search for something outside of the mundane. The desire to avoid the typical nine to five existence, or maybe a hunt for a path that motivates them, or even just rejecting the idea of a purpose at all, resulting in getting lost among the weeds. However, the other side of that is that it can be quite vague, these characters almost feel like templates to put yourself in the shoes of which is an interesting choice but doesn’t always give you enough to invest in them.

The directorial style from Levine nicely matches that aimlessness and disconnection, having a penchant for especially wide shots and mixing in natural landscapes to highlight how they isolate themselves. Similarly, it uses the quiet well to match their separation and distance from family and society. Although there is the occasional moment that doesn’t quite fit, particularly introducing a sense of intimacy. Knowing so little about these characters and focusing so much on the silence unfortunately doesn’t open up a lot of space for affection.

However, there is still a certain sweetness to the relationship between Caleb (Shea Glasheen) and Sarah (Dianna Glasheen), so you can see why Levine tries to further that with physicality and brief moments of warmth. The two of them bring a big note of youthfulness and naivety, capturing that idea of trying to be adults but not really knowing what that entails. They’re just floating along, testing how far they can get before a true obstacle blocks their path.

Caleb & Sarah is a portrait of lost youth, slowly disconnecting yourself to aimlessly wander. Dianna Glasheen and Shea Glasheen give us a couple seeking independence, they have a convincing, natural relationship but their personalities are never really filled out. It’s shot consistently and well by Matthew Kyle Levine, who also acts as cinematographer and editor, but it needed more progression or layers to its story to fulfil its potential. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting topic to take on and there’s a lot of commitment to reflect the emotions, or lack thereof, in the style and tone.

Verdict: ✯✯✯½ | 7/10