LIMBO
A SHORT FILM BY TORI SMITH
The protagonist, Milam, is visited by his ex-lover Silah in his sleep, and experiences a whirlwind of emotions and nostalgia tied to their past relationship. But in the starkness of the night, Milam's encounter with Silah teeters on dream and reality, leaving Milam in limbo.
Limbo
Backstory
Silah and Milam are just, friends. It developed organically. But Silah, she's special. She's the yin and the yang; the sun and the moon. How can such a woman hold balance in the curve of her smile and the crevasse of her brow? They start to cross the boundaries of the friendship, both physically and emotionally, fostering care characteristic of a romance. At odds with one another, Silah refuses to go further and deepen their union. When Milam finally decides to come correct, Silah retreats. Both are afraid of the magnitude of the feelings that develops between them. Their split has hit Milam to the core. He dreams of her, Silah, and it is in his dreams, the complexity and fragility of their relationship, and his torment is revealed.
CHARACTERS
MILAM
-
Age: 23
-
One of three children
-
He feels estranged at times, almost isolated but he assumes the position that binds his family together, without even realizing it.
-
Keen, observant, tempered. He is warm, and even-mannered with a genuine spirit.
-
He tries to keep his emotions in check, but his soul is like the sun, burning.
-
He handles his emotions by rationalizing them enough to act in a way that is suitable to the well-being of others, but his passionate nature spills out of him; his love is difficult to conceal
-
He is crippled by this fear of hurting the women in his life and in turn hurting himself, so he distances himself enough so that he doesn’t get caught up or close to someone
-
His heart and intentions are true, he is honest and transparent; he just doesn’t know how to handle how he feels all the time and in a society of black male hypermasculinity, there isn’t much discourse or room for emotions.
SILAH
-
Age: 22
-
One of three children.
-
Self-critical, stoic.
-
She strong but there is a softness about her, a delicateness.
-
She is genuine, ingénue, loving, delicate, fragile, but these qualities were not valued in her family so she had to learn to expel them.
-
She is guarded, not trusting of love and refuses to show vulnerability.
-
She is self-reliant, but at her core there is a yearning for a bond, a very close bond. She is longing for someone to see her for who she is beneath the icy facade and to love who they find.
-
Her ideas of love stem from poor self-image; in being isolated and witnessing violence growing up, she doesn’t believe that she is deserving of anything good, nor that she is deserving of love.
