Written and directed by Dan Hertzog, when a mischievous girl unlocks a pocket watch that bends time, she’s thrust into bizarre worlds where eerie figures guard the secret to what truly matters. Starring: Alani Zaya Hertzog, David S Boss, Ellen Latzen, Madison Merlanti, Steve Lelinski, Sean Besecker and Neal Fehnel.
As soon as you enter the world of It’s About Time you get that nostalgic, traditional feel of a good old-fashioned family adventure. Especially with Alani Zaya Hertzog in the lead as Justine, you feel all of that childhood curiosity, à la Nancy Drew. Dan Hertzog’s direction and cinematography match that tone, bringing through a little bit of risk and a touch of fear at times. Those choices are especially boosted by the great location choices that give It’s About Time a bigger presence and wider scope. The production value of the short is terrific.
Despite working with very little dialogue, Alani Zaya Hertzog does a great job leading It’s About Time. She has the classic mix naivety and determination that’s so familiar and is a well-used formula in family film for good reason. The rest of the cast bring an unknown quantity, a dose of creepiness and help to drive Justine through this journey. However, their ominous presence can at times feel like it needs a touch more context, especially when it’s aimed at a younger audience. A little bit of detail to give more weight to their warnings and behaviour in general.
The aesthetic can also be overly dark, it’s nice to see Hertzog not go overly simple and keep things constantly bright and overly contrasted as a lot of family cinema likes to do, but there are times when it loses some detail. However, he does make the choice to keep the effects to a minimum which works in the short’s favour. The moments where it does employ some green screen are not the most effective but again, it’s something that’s thankfully not overly relied upon.
It’s About Time is a nostalgic and enjoyably old-school family adventure. It could use a little more development to the story to give Justine some backstory and expand its curiosities, but it does still work on its own. Nevertheless, it’s well shot and creates a warm atmosphere, and gives its leading young lady a lot of room to roam which is great to see. Alani Zaya Hertzog manages to inject a good amount of personality into Justine despite saying very little, and she makes for an easy, enjoyable character to follow.
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