Short Film · 2025

Drawn Together

A reserved teen artist, struggling with family changes, forms an unexpected bond with his lively classmate through exchanged drawings, discovering connection, self-expression, and healing.

SynopsisLiam, a reserved 17-year-old artist, finds comfort in sketching, using his notebook as an escape from the changes in his home life. While searching for supplies in a storage room at school, he stumbles upon an old, forgotten notebook filled with silly doodles and curiously responds with his own drawing, unknowingly sparking a silent exchange with Sam, a lively and persistent classmate. What begins as playful back-and-forth sketches evolves into a deeper, unspoken connection, with each drawing revealing glimpses of their lives, but as Liam wrestles with feelings of isolation and unresolved emotions about his father and new sibling, he begins to withdraw. However, Sam’s quiet persistence through their shared notebook ultimately reminds him that he doesn’t have to face everything alone.

Liam, a reserved 17-year-old artist, finds comfort in sketching, using his notebook as an escape from the changes in his home life. While searching for supplies in a storage room at school, he stumbles upon an old, forgotten notebook filled with silly doodles and curiously responds with his own drawing, unknowingly sparking a silent exchange with Sam, a lively and persistent classmate. What begins as playful back-and-forth sketches evolves into a deeper, unspoken connection, with each drawing revealing glimpses of their lives, but as Liam wrestles with feelings of isolation and unresolved emotions about his father and new sibling, he begins to withdraw. However, Sam’s quiet persistence through their shared notebook ultimately reminds him that he doesn’t have to face everything alone.

Synopsis

Director's StatementDrawn Together was developed for our Short Form Production module at film school, which challenged us to craft a silent narrative using visual storytelling, zero dialogue, two actors, and a single location. Far from feeling restrictive, these constraints proved liberating, aligning with my passion for subtext and the subtle nuances an actor can bring to a performance. Inspired by animated films like Look Back and Your Name, I wanted to explore themes of fate, art as connection, and how meaningful relationships often appear precisely when we need them most.

Drawn Together was developed for our Short Form Production module at film school, which challenged us to craft a silent narrative using visual storytelling, zero dialogue, two actors, and a single location. Far from feeling restrictive, these constraints proved liberating, aligning with my passion for subtext and the subtle nuances an actor can bring to a performance. Inspired by animated films like Look Back and Your Name, I wanted to explore themes of fate, art as connection, and how meaningful relationships often appear precisely when we need them most.

Crafting and directing Liam’s quiet internal struggle alongside Sam’s persistent, warm energy was a deeply rewarding experience, focusing on physical performance, body language, and visual pacing. Having to trim the final cut to meet a strict five-and-a-half-minute runtime limit reinforced that creative limitations often spark the most inventive storytelling, forcing every frame to carry meaning.

Director's Statement