Review by Michael Edwards
Documentary director Noah Berlow's short "Act As If", showing at the Culver City Film Festival is at once a smart, piercingly clear rendering of the present day unhoused family crisis in Los Angeles.
Less interested in pulling the heartstrings of a comfortably detached, housed population, as interested in introducing us to ourselves 'as if' we were in 2024 Los Angeles with nowhere to sleep tonight.
Writer and producers Chris Landon and Szilva Vecserdy and Director Noah Berlow succeed in revealing resourceful, brave, industrious individuals who want nothing more than to see their families in a private room for the evening - safe. Watching each individual (A person with family) move through their endowed-by-society social shame on to an actual comfortable living solution (sorry for the spoiler) either permanent or just for a time, brings not only satisfaction to the viewer, but hope for a present day and coming tomorrow for our beautiful Hollywood Los Angeles town.
A previous winner of Best Director, Best Documentary and Best Music at previous festivals, 'ACT AS IF' is the proud recipient of this year's CULVER CITY FF Best Editor award, for Noah Berlow. The production is top tier; focused, fluid, crisp, very HBO (back when they used to make damn good documentaries).
For a brilliant, short but very powerful lift of your human spirit I Highly Recommend
Noah Berlow's "Act As If."