A Quiet Moment That Says Everything

Read Time:5 Minute, 12 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Recesses
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Genre: Drama
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 15m
Director(s): Dylan Trupiano
Writer(s): Dylan Trupiano
Cast: Solia Cates, Charles John Wilson, Bryant Carroll, Ruth Crawford, Jeremy Roth-Rose, Lilly Thomas
Where to Watch: shown at the 2025 Annual HollyShorts Film Festival

RAVING REVIEW: RECESSES is one of those shorts that proves you don’t need scale to make an impact. Dylan Trupiano sets the entire story inside an elementary school office, a space that feels both normal and yet charged with tension. It’s a quiet film on the surface—just a secretary and a boy waiting after a disciplinary incident—but the undercurrent is what gives it power. By the end of its fifteen minutes, it leaves you with the kind of silence that demands reflection.

The plot is deliberately simple. Bailey (Charles John Wilson), a student disciplined for an “inappropriate” drawing, waits with Sherry (Solia Cates), the school secretary. What happens in that waiting isn’t explosive, but it’s layered. Trupiano uses the smallness of the setup to explore how kids carry trauma and how adults often overlook the signals right in front of them. The short isn’t about the drawing itself so much as the weight of what lingers afterward.

Cates brings a quiet strength to the role. She isn’t the stereotypical disciplinarian, nor is she a saintly adult swooping in with all the right answers. She’s somewhere in between—professional, measured, but subtly aware that there’s more going on with Bailey than the paperwork suggests. Cates gives her an empathetic edge without pushing too hard, which allows the film to feel grounded.

Wilson matches her well as Bailey. His performance is understated, built on glances, fidgeting, and the guarded way kids often respond when they know they’re in trouble. Wilson resists the urge to make Bailey overly expressive, which makes sense for a character still learning what’s safe to share. The realism of his body language sells the idea that this is less about punishment and more about an early lesson in how emotions get contained.

The supporting cast—Bryant Carroll, Ruth Crawford, Jeremy Roth-Rose, and Lilly Thomas—have smaller roles but add to the texture of the school environment. They flesh out the sense of an institution around the central duo, one that enforces rules but doesn’t necessarily provide space for emotional honesty. Their presence emphasizes how the system itself becomes a kind of character in the story.

Trupiano’s direction shows confidence. He doesn’t clutter the short with unnecessary movement or dialogue. Instead, he lets the camera linger, capturing small gestures that carry meaning: the shuffle of papers, the way light bounces off a window, the pauses between lines of dialogue. Cinematographer Cece Chan frames the office in a way that feels familiar but slightly oppressive—neutral tones, flat lighting, and tight framing that remind you how confining institutional spaces can be.

The editing and pacing are deliberate, allowing silence to feel weighty rather than empty. This is where the film earns its keep. Long stretches without dialogue force the audience to notice what’s not being said. That silence becomes the heart of the story, highlighting how repression takes root not through dramatic confrontations but through small, repeated lessons in holding back.

What makes RECESSES effective is that it doesn’t over-explain itself. We don’t see the drawing. We don’t get a speech that spells out trauma or healing. Instead, the short trusts the audience to sit with discomfort and recognize that these moments echo long past childhood. Trupiano has spoken about using his own experiences, and that personal connection shows. The film feels like it comes from someone who remembers exactly what it’s like to be a kid taught to keep certain things quiet.

Sherry is a layered character, but the film keeps her at arm’s length. A brief moment alone with her—without Bailey watching—might have added more depth, showing how adults also wrestle with their thoughts left unspoken. Still, the restraint is intentional, and the film’s decision to keep everything filtered through their shared waiting time strengthens its focus.

RECESSES succeeds because it treats its story with seriousness. It’s not flashy or sentimental, but it captures something true about the way silence shapes us. The film makes its point without raising its voice, letting stillness carry more weight than words. By the time it ends, the office feels like more than just a room; it feels like a place where a cycle of repression is beginning to form. Trupiano has created a short film that’s both personal and universal, illustrating how one afternoon in a school can have a lasting impact, shaping a lifetime of unspoken lessons. It’s a modest film, but that modesty is its strength—it trusts the audience to notice, to listen, and to remember.

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