Giorgio Miraflor captures a brief intersection of humanity in his short film, Me + Lee. Theodore (Giorgio Miraflor) is a bit of a recluse in life. While packing up the record hanging on his wall, his mother (Daphne Monte) hopes that he’ll be with the family for Thanksgiving this year. His best friend, AJ (Nick Alexander Payne), “hates” that he won’t hang out. But Theo finds comfort in his apartment.
Today, a man named Lee (Johnny Manibusan) arrives at Theo’s front door to deliver his food. Theo invites Lee in, and he notices Theo’s record collection in boxes. As an odd request, Lee asks if he’d sell the collection to him.
The subject of the collection serves as a jumping-off point for these two strangers as Theo and Lee start having a casual conversation. The two have as much in common as they don’t. Theo’s parents are divorced. Lee’s are still together. Lee is an artist, and Theo admires art.
“As an odd request, Lee asks if he’d sell the collection to him.”
The beauty of Me + Lee is how it reminds me of those moments in my life when I met a stranger, and we simply had a good conversation. For Theo, the conversation was profound, even though Lee had no clue why. God or the universe simply has a way of making these random connections that leave an indelible impression for days…months…and years to come.
Cinematically speaking, writer/director/star Miraflor masterfully films what is essentially a conversation between Theo and Lee. It’s done with nice tight shots of Miraflor and Manibusan, and the editing and pacing of this conversation is about as perfect as you can get to give us the feel of an authentic conversation.
If you’ve ever struck up a conversation with a complete stranger, Me + Lee will feel very familiar and, dare I say, nostalgic.
For screening information, visit the Me + Lee web page.
