Lockdown (2019) – dir. Logan George, Celine Held

The things we do for love.

Happy Pride Month! I don’t how one would compile the stats, but I’d suspect LGBT+ films have a higher representation in shorts than features, due to the process involved in getting a feature film of any kind off the ground. We have an expert in our midst on queer shorts in Julius Kassendorf, so he can speak with far more authority than I.

“Lockdown” comes to us from festival circuit darlings Logan George and Celine Held. Their great debut feature from last year Topside was unfortunately overlooked and still lacks distribution, but hopefully the long success they’ve found in shorts – this film marked a record six South by Southwest appearances – follows them to whatever length they choose.

The film’s plot has an interesting shape, foregoing the drama we imagine for a simple moment. The filmmaking supports that shape, though, carefully isolating the two main characters in mirrored frames without losing their place within the larger context. We can debate the story point – what happened between the characters in the space unseen and what happens later – and the larger morality within the parameters given to us, and it’s an accomplishment that the film can give us so much latitude in these areas while still feeling like a full meal.

And that’s due to a narrowed focus on the desire, plan, and achievement of a specific feeling. Maybe there will be consequences down the road. Maybe things won’t work out they way we hoped. But all our hero wants is that one moment, and it’s a joy to see her get it.