Colby Day crafts an impressive short dramady with their new film LEAD/FOLLOW. Shot in one long take, this eleven-ish minute kinetic, minimalist film takes the viewer through the stages of a relationship using an impressive score to punctuate the flow of the movie into its various “scenes” rather than using cuts.

The performances are funny and real. Actors Della Saba and Sam Nelson Harris are equally charming and impressively “on” through this one-take venture. They hit all the marks and deliver their lines with aplomb, the tight script a steward to the performances.

The pacing is ridiculous, in a good way. The time flew by in this movie. The credits hit and those eleven-ish minutes felt like seconds, somewhat like it feels when you’re in a good relationship and one day you look in the mirror and realize that it’s been years, and you’re still together.

They hit each relationship stage with a planned exacted-ness and accuracy. The color changes to the otherwise blank set assist in telling the audience how to feel, leading them to the water, but not needy enough to make them drink it. It just works. The practiced choreography flows and the energy is frenetic. The interspersed dialogue is light and fun (mostly) and serves to add a comedic element to the movie.

When movies do everything correctly, they elevate the artform to a different level. LEAD/FOLLOW does just that.