When Love Leaves a Mark

Read Time:5 Minute, 23 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Scarlet Letter
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Genre: Drama
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 3 minutes
Director(s): Cole Komssi
Writer(s): Cole Komssi
Cast: Scarlet Taveras Guzman, Cole Komssi
Where to Watch: shown at the 2025 Art is Alive Film Festival

RAVING REVIEW: SCARLET LETTER is a microcosm of an exploration of love’s volatility — the soaring highs that feel world-defining and the sudden heartbreaks that threaten to undo it all. Across just three minutes, writer/director/co-star Cole Komssi distills a relationship into emotionally loaded moments that show how affection and pain often coexist, sometimes within the same breath.

The short revolves around a couple whose connection is strong enough to be meaningful but fragile enough to shake apart without warning. Scarlet Taveras Guzman and Komssi bring personal authenticity to their performances, making the emotional swings believable even within the compact structure. Their real-world chemistry ensures that viewers don’t need dialogue-heavy explanations to understand that this relationship matters deeply to both characters. This is a journey of visuals and exploration into what love means.

The film recognizes a core truth about love: it isn’t linear. It doesn’t follow a path toward perfection. It bends, stutters, and occasionally breaks. SCARLET LETTER captures that essence through a visual storytelling style rather than drawn-out exposition. Each shot becomes a memory, a turning point, a reminder that two people can be intimately connected while simultaneously drifting apart. The short seems built on that tension — trying to hold something close that seems determined to slip through fingers.

The title itself implies both passion and pain. A “scarlet letter” traditionally marks someone with shame or judgment, and there’s an interesting subtext in applying that phrase to romance. Love can elevate a person, but the aftermath of heartbreak can feel like a mark you can’t erase. The short hints at those consequences — that being in love means accepting the risk of being hurt by the same person you hold dear.

Due to its brief runtime, the film employs the language of montage and impressionism. It trusts images over explanation. We see glimpses of connection: moments of laughter, closeness, and shared experiences. Then the contrast arrives — silence, tension, separation. The edits mirror how quickly love can shift from comforting to confusing. It’s an honest reflection of the emotional instability that real relationships sometimes encounter. There’s an artistic assumption here; the team trusts the audience to read the moments in time as part of the story.

Komssi’s direction relies on subtle choices to convey meaning. Body language becomes a primary tool for storytelling. Where hands are placed, how eyes move away or toward one another — those details communicate affection or distance in ways dialogue couldn’t. These gestures make the narrative relatable, inviting viewers to recall similar moments from their own lives when something felt off but words wouldn’t come.

The cinematography and pacing contribute to a deeply personal tone. Color and lighting help define the emotional beat of each moment. Warmth signifies closeness; cooler, darker visuals signal the creeping weight of conflict. The shifts aren’t dramatic but rather gently push the audience toward understanding the inner transformation of the relationship. Out of focus shorts, a look, a pause, so much in just moments on the screen.

The structure purposefully embraces simplicity. Rather than offering a full journey, SCARLET LETTER functions more like a snapshot of love — or perhaps several snapshots laid in sequence. It’s a film about feeling, not resolution. And that restraint is part of what makes it resonate. Relationships don’t always end with closure; sometimes they end with unanswered questions, unsaid thoughts, and emotions that linger.

Komssi crafts a tale that views heartbreak not as a tragic event, but as a natural part of loving someone. The final moments don’t try to soften the blow or suggest that the characters will heal. Instead, they offer quiet, contemplative space — acknowledging that love leaves marks that may take time to fade.

As an Art Is Alive Film Festival selection, the short reflects the festival’s values of artistic sincerity and human connection. SCARLET LETTER doesn’t aim to blow you away with plot twists or complexity — it seeks to evoke emotion honestly, especially within its limited timeframe. The vulnerability from both leads is evident, suggesting that this story may carry personal weight for them. That transparency invites viewers to feel with them rather than simply observe.

While its brevity may leave some wanting deeper context, that absence becomes part of its expression. Sometimes the most meaningful moments in love aren’t the full stories — they’re flashes, moments in time. They’re what we replay in our heads long after a romance has shifted or ended. SCARLET LETTER captures those fleeting emotional spikes that linger like echoes.

Komssi demonstrates an understanding of how to convey heart efficiently. He offers a relatable emotional experience without forcing a grand narrative onto a compact runtime. Whether someone is in love, recovering from heartbreak, or somewhere in between, they will likely find a familiar truth in this short: loving someone is beautiful, but it isn’t always gentle.

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