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Two Distant Strangers

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Two Distant Strangers
Official release poster
Directed by
Screenplay byTravon Free
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJessica Young
Edited byAlex Odesmith
Music byJames Poyser
Production
companies
  • Dirty Robber
  • NowThis
  • Six Feet Over
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • November 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)
Running time
32 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$443,050 (all short films)[1]

Two Distant Strangers is a 2020 American short film written by Travon Free and directed by Free and Martin Desmond Roe.[2][3] The film examines the deaths of Black Americans during encounters with police through the eyes of a character trapped in a time loop that keeps ending in his death.[4][5] Two Distant Strangers won the award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, marking distributor Netflix's first win in the category.[6]

Plot

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In New York City, graphic designer Carter James tries to get home to his dog, Jeter, the morning after a first date, only to find himself trapped in a time loop in which he is repeatedly confronted in the street by a NYPD officer, Merk. Merk wonders whether Carter is smoking a joint and wants to search his bag. Each encounter ends with Carter being killed by the police, then waking up in the bed of his date, Perri.[a] In one version of the loop, riot police burst into Perri's apartment, mistaking it for a different apartment because the door number is hanging upside down, and shoot him there.[b]

After 99 deaths, Carter decides to discuss the situation with Officer Merk. Carter tells him about the time loop, offering Merk evidence by correctly predicting what people around them will do next. Carter asks Merk to drive him home. The journey ends without mishap; Merk and Carter get out of the patrol car and shake hands. But as Carter turns to enter his apartment building, Merk starts applauding what he calls Carter's "noble performance", revealing that Merk remembers the previous loops too. Merk then shoots him in the back, while a pool of blood starts forming in the shape of Africa, and says "See you tomorrow, kid". Carter wakes up once more in Perri's bed.

Undeterred, Carter leaves Perri's apartment to make yet another effort to get home. As the song "The Way It Is" plays, names of Black Americans who have died in encounters with police are listed.

Cast

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Release

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In March 2021, Netflix acquired the distribution rights and made the film available from April 9.[8]

Comparisons to existing works

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Two Distant Strangers has been compared to other films that share a similar premise:

  • Groundhog Day for a Black Man (2016), directed by Cynthia Kao[9]
    • In April 2021, Cynthia Kao posted a video on the social media site TikTok alleging that this film plagiarized a short film she had directed in December 2016 titled Groundhog Day For a Black Man.[9] The contents of Kao's film were similar to the plot of Two Distant Strangers, which are both about a black man trying to relive the same day over and over until he can survive a police altercation. Furthermore, in 2020, during the George Floyd protests, social media news outlet NowThis contacted Kao about featuring the film on their Facebook and Instagram pages. The following year, Netflix released Two Distant Strangers in collaboration with NowThis, excluding any credit of Kao's name or that she had anything to do with the original idea for the movie in any way.[10] NowThis responded to the claims, citing the fact that the film was independently conceived and in final production before they became involved, disputing any connection to Kao.[11]
  • Replay (2019), The Twilight Zone, Season 1, Episode 3, directed by Gerard McMurray
  • The Obituary of Tunde Johnson (2019), directed by Ali LeRoi[12]

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 16 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.20/10.[13]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards April 25, 2021 Best Live Action Short Film Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe[14] Won [15]
African-American Film Critics Association April 7, 2021 Best Short Film Two Distant Strangers Won [16]

See also

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References

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Footnotes

  1. ^ Carter's first death resembles the killing of Eric Garner in 2014 and the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. Travon Free wrote the script in July 2020.[7]
  2. ^ Alluding to the 2020 shooting of Breonna Taylor
  3. ^ v. 1, ln. 16: "Learn to see me as your brother 'stead of two distant strangers"

Citations

  1. ^ "2021 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Live Action". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  2. ^ Dry, Jude (March 8, 2021). "'Two Distant Strangers' Makes Sure Oscar Voters Don't Forget George Floyd". IndieWire. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  3. ^ Menta, Anna (April 9, 2021). "'Two Distant Strangers' on Netflix Is a Time Loop Story With a Powerful Twist". Decider.
  4. ^ Feinberg, Scott (February 5, 2021). "'Awards Chatter' Podcast — Sean Combs ('Two Distant Strangers')". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  5. ^ Norris, Michele L. (April 13, 2021)."Opinion: We're stuck in a loop of death until we address policing. This Netflix short showcases that". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ 2021|Oscars.org
  7. ^ Pener, Degen (January 19, 2021). "Behind the Scenes of New Short Film, 'Two Distant Strangers,' About Police Killings in America". The Hollywood Reporter.
  8. ^ Rodriguez, Karla (April 9, 2021). "Director Travon Free’s Oscar-Nominated 'Two Distant Strangers' Reflects the Time We Live In". Complex.
  9. ^ a b "Netflix Two Distant Strangers copied Groundhog Day for Black Man". Wiredup Report. 14 April 2021. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  10. ^ Tanvi Akhauri, May 1, 2021, Woman’s TikTok About Oscar-Winning Short’s Close Resemblance To Her Film Goes Viral
  11. ^ Moore, Kasey (May 2021). "'Two Distant Strangers' Plagiarism Claims Explained". What's On Netflix. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  12. ^ Debruge, Peter (April 2021). "'2021 Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Live Action' Review: A Cross-Section of Cinematic Activism". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Two Distant Strangers". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  14. ^ "Two Distant Strangers" Wins Best Live Action Short Film | 93rd Oscars
  15. ^ Khatchatourian, Maane (April 25, 2021). "Oscars 2021: The Complete Winners List". Variety. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  16. ^ AAFCA-2021-Winners-Press-Release.pdf
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