***DISCLAIMER*** SPOILERS AHEAD DO NOT READ — IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE FILM. WATCH THE SHORT IN FULL BELOW:
The Gesture and The Word (2020), directed by Helen Alexis Yonov (Burden & Light), features James Michael Tyler as Gilbert, a postman with a crush on the local florist. The opening scene starts at the flower shop that Eloïse owns and since it is on Gilbert’s route, he stops by with her mail. She reaches for a flower and he prepares for her to pin it to his jacket, which shows that they have done this before and it is now routine for them. While pinning the freesia to his jacket, she explains that it symbolizes innocence and friendship, but in the Victorian era, it would be added to bouquets to convey trust.
She looks at him with shyly and seems a little nervous while explaining. The audience would catch this obvious sign of affection, but the main character remains doubtful as he carries on with his route. He stops at another place on his route, receiving advice from a former poet on how to tell Eloïse that he has feelings for her. Mr. Rostalle tells him that and that it’s about both the gesture and the word. As a poet, Gilbert is sure that Mr. Rostalle has the words to help him, but he is trying to figure out how to piece together the gesture and the word to share his affections with Eloïse.
Gilbert has been pressing the flowers that he receives from Eloïse every day, and as he continues on his route to deliver other mail, he notices postcards with landscapes of different countries on them, addressed to “Aurore”. At one point, the postcards stop, and Gilbert continues writing them, just to see Aurore smile when they are delivered to her. By the end, the young man (Eric) who had been sending the postcards returns home, and Aurore puzzles over the sender since Eric denies writing them, just as Gilbert finishes sorting the mail and the couple looks back to see the empty path.
Throughout the film, Gilbert collects and presses flowers into a book for Eloïse, and one night he visits a bar that happens to be the same one she performs burlesque at, giving him a chance to say something, and he doesn’t. He visits Mr. Rostalle late at night after the outing, distressed because he “chickened out” of talking to her. Mr. Rostalle, rather than being bothered by the late visit, he invites Gilbert in to talk with him. He explains that the reason he is having these feelings of insecurity is because he’s too “ordinary”, to which Mr. Rostalle responds: “so am I; most of us are.”
Courtesy of Burden & Light
He tells Gilbert that he has lived a full life, and he has no regrets. His last piece of advice to end the scene is “life’s too short not to tell her.” An empowered Gilbert goes to the flower shop again the next day, and when Eloïse gives him an orchid and describes the meaning behind the flower, he bravely presents the book with pressed flowers to her, and they look through the book, smiling and standing close to each other. He puts his arm around her shoulders, and she seems to be giddy with excitement that they finally confessed feelings for one another.
Review
The short is a meaningful slice-of-life film with excellent storytelling, cinematography, and concept. Performance-wise, the subtle actions and expressions really brought each character to life and made their story believable. Gilbert is so relatable— his doubts about Eloïse‘s affection and his emphasis on how he is ordinary are things that many of us deal with when we are looking for love. The character of Mr. Rostalle is a great addition to the story because he was more than just a man that lived in a house on Gilbert’s mail route; he was a role model for Gilbert and someone to look to for advice. The reason for the five-star review is the concept of Gilbert writing the postcards after Eric stops writing them to Aurore— initially, but it can be misconstrued as stalking and certainly portrays crossing a boundary — but some may deem it seem sweet or flattering. Overall a great watch.
Overall: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ /5
An Atlanta-based actress, model, writer, and screenwriter, Miranda started her career on stage in high school. She figured out that acting and writing were two passions of hers that allowed her to constructively express her emotions through character and narrative. In 2022, she packed up her cat and everything she owned to move across the US to Atlanta to further pursue opportunities in the entertainment industry. She is currently working on a novel and the screenplay adaptation for the novel, and enjoys designing graphics.
